Should child labor be eliminated? An HRD perspective

• Author: Gary N. McLean,Nadir Budhwani,Belinda Wee
• Published date: 01 March 2004
• Date: 01 March 2004
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.1090

FORUM

Should Child Labor Be Eliminated?

An HRD Perspective

Nadir N. Budhwani, Belinda Wee, Gary N. McLean

Child labor, especially in developing countries, has been an increasing target

for social reformers. Although there are many suggested solutions for the

eradication of child labor, many are simplistic and create more problems

than they cure. Suggested reforms are explored and analyzed. Additional

recommendations, especially from a human resource development perspec-

tive, are explored.

Child labor is a concern around the globe and in the global marketplace

because many countries either do not legally prohibit the employment of chil-

dren or do not enforce their existing laws. The strong and often emotional feel-

ings against child labor are especially prominent in countries generally

considered part of the developed world. Therefore, many U.S. corporations

have second thoughts about moving their production to Pakistan or Thailand

because of the strong feelings that exist back home. Still, there are strong incen-

tives to move because of the lower labor costs that are the result of the use of

child workers.

Child labor is often defined in terms such as work carried out to the

detriment of the child in violation of international and national law. In equally

negative but broader terms, child labor can be defined as “children who are

denied their childhood and a future, who work long hours for low wages,

often under conditions harmful to their health and to their physical and men-

tal development, and who are sometimes separated from their families and

frequently deprived of education” (Ali, 2000). Both of these definitions are

loaded in a negative direction. In addition, they do not take into account the

fact that definitions of who a child is vary considerably from culture to cul-

ture and country to country, and no attempt is made by either definition to

define who a child is. A more neutral definition might be “work that is

performed for payment and outside of the family by someone who is under

the age allowed by the country in which the child resides.” As one of the

coauthors wrote:

107

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, vol. 15, no. 1, Spring 2004

Copyright © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

hrd15108.qxp 2/10/04 1:44 PM Page 107