Business Ethics Awareness Project Child Labor in the Clothing Manufacturing Industry

Child Labor in the Clothing Manufacturing Industry
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Institution
Child Labor in the Clothing Manufacturing Industry
Child labor is one of the many issues that raise ethical concerns, especially in the field of business. Child labor is defined based on the age of the laborer, as well as the form of labor or activity being undertaken (Dammert, de Hoop, Mvukiyehe, & Rosati, 2018). Not all activities performed by a child constitute child labor. Child labor is defined as any type of activity that denies children an opportunity to enjoy their childhood, harms their physical, mental, or social development, and interferes with their education (International Labor Organization (ILO), n.d.a). Over time, many countries have enacted laws that abolish child labor. However, statistics show that there are still many children involved in child labor. Globally, out of the 218 million children aged 5-17 years in employment, 152 million are involved in child labor, and about half of them are involved in hazardous child labor, which is harmful to their well-being (ILO, 2017b). These statistics, coupled with the fact that many clothing companies fail to take responsibility for child labor in the industry because they believe the responsibility falls on foreign governments (Hawksley, n.d.), make child labor an important issue to me as a business student. I believe that while governments and humanitarian organizations have made considerable headway, businesses have the potential to even make a greater, positive change on this issue.
Stakeholders
There is a need for awareness creation on the issue of child labor in the clothing manufacturing industry. The main stakeholders include governments, especially for countries that have high rates of child labor. Besides, international organizations such as the ILO, which is responsible for setting labor standards and enhancing decent working conditions for employees (ILO, n.d.c) is a major stakeholder in creating awareness. Trade unions are also major stakeholders, especially at local levels because they understand the labor practices of their specific areas. Others include any stakeholder in the manufacturing and supplying of clothing (Global March, 2017). These include manufacturers, manufacturers associations, contractors, and retailers. Also, the civil society organizations that work on the issue of child labor, especially in the clothing industry, are major stakeholders. Another important stakeholder is all the community-based organizations that collaborate with the locals and the respective government agencies to create awareness and discourage child labor.
History of Child Labor
Child labor has a long history dating from way before the industrial revolution. However, child labor became rampant in North America and Europe during the 19th century due to the high demand for labor created by industrialization (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2019). This was because child labor was a source of cheap labor and employers were more focused on profit maximization. As revealed by Deckop (2008), profit maximization forms a strong argument in ethical decision-making. However, the use of child labor decreased in the 20th century in these regions as people realized the ethical concerns raised by child labor. In recent years, child labor has been on the decline (Ortiz-Ospina & Roser, 2019), thanks to the efforts of several organizations and governments. These organizations include the ILO, which established the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). The Child Labor Coalition(CLC), established in 1989, has also been instrumental in eradicating child labor by providing government agencies and advocacy groups with an opportunity to work together (End Slavery Now, n.d.). The ILO (2017b) reveals that since the year 2000, the number of children aged 5-17 years of age involved in child labor has reduced by 94 million, globally. These statistics show that we are making headway, but the progress is still slow.
Counter-argument
Some may argue that businesses cannot be able to address the issue of child labor without proper policies from governments and advocacy groups. Also, they may argue that it is difficult to be in full control of the supply chain. However, as Jack Ma reveals in his interview, businesses can and should go beyond their desire to create profits. Corporate responsibility is about contributing to society and making ethical business decisions that do not cause harm to any member of society. This can be done by adopting a universalist approach to decision-making. Universalism is based on the principle that the end does not justify the means (Deckop, 2008). Thus, even if profits are the end goal, they should not justify using child labor. Businesses in the clothing manufacturing industry can make a difference by performing a risk assessment on their workplace (ILO, 2016d), as well as examining the labor practices along the supply chain to gain visibility.
Awareness Creation Plan
Creating awareness of child labor should be everyone’s business. With the knowledge I now have on child labor, especially in the clothing manufacturing industry, my plan involves first informing myself on child rights and child labor. Without such knowledge, I will not be able to create awareness of the issue. To inform myself, I will visit various websites, such as the ILO website, among others. Child labor-related websites are rich with information on the statistics, progress, and hindrances to the eradication of child labor. Once I have armed myself with knowledge, I will then use my social media platforms and physical contacts to sensitive people on child labor. According to ILO (2016d), sensitization begins with differentiating between child labor and labor that is acceptable for children, based on their age. I will also inform my followers on social media of the negative effects of child labor, such as poor health and poor/ lack of school attendance. This will involve providing them with numbers of children out of school due to child labor, which will be obtained from trusted sources. I will also share photos that document child labor. The United States Agency International Development (USAID) has a repository containing videos and photographs of child laborers (Athreya, 2014). This will help paint a clear picture of the issues relating to child labor. I will also tag government agencies/ officials responsible for inspecting clothing manufacturing factories, local representatives and major clothing companies such as H&M in my social media posts.
Timeline
The above-mentioned goals of continued creation of awareness should be accomplished by the end of the ...