Introduction
From a general point of view child labour is described as a sustained and regular employment of children’s effort in both formal and informal work. This is an exploitative and harmful practice which is strongly abhorred by governments across the world. In a more specific approach Hindman (2009) defines child labour as work done by children under the age of 15 which may prevent them from going to school or interfere with their normal development. Despite its inappropriateness, child labour has proved to be inevitable mainly because of the tough economic conditions that characterize the lives of many families. For a person to be able to make reliable and ethical decision in regards to bringing up children, it is important to understand the status of societies’ moral standards. This paper gives a detailed inductive and deductive discussion on child labour.
Child labour in Canada has been prone to numerous controversies related to specific age at which children are exposed to labour (Barman, 2012). This paper intends to examine the case of child labour in Canada and relevant ethical decisions-making process that should be used in response to ethical distress situation.
Cases of child labour
Barman (2012) defines child labour as the act of employing individuals particularly below the age of 16 years as sustained or regular labourers. This is due to the fact that children are the most vulnerable individuals especially those who are below the age of 16 years (Barman, 2012). Notably, in developed nations such as UK, USA and Canada, it becomes difficult to determine the exact age at which children should be considered as labourers. For this reason, there is a pronounced debate on the minimum age at which children should be forced to work. From a careful review of literature, one can analyse that this act is perceived by international organizations as exploitative and therefore illegal. According to Barnetson (2009), international standards that govern human labour have set a global baseline dictating that the minimum working age for children should be 15 years. Canada on its own signed the ILO convention yet this is more of a symbolic contract since the terms of child labour in the country are still very complex.
Evidence has shown that child labour in Canada is perceived differently in numerous provinces. In this case, different provinces have varying specifications in terms of age at which children should work (McLachlan, 2009). In line with this, research has revealed that there has been dramatic change in the attitude towards employment of children in Canada since 18th century (Barnetson, 2009). Unlike other nations who oppose child labor, Canadian government has not yet ratified its convention 138 of the International Labor Organization Charter (Roberts, 2010). For this reason, there is no specification of the minimum age that a child can be used as an economic asset. Roberts (2010) comments that majority of the children are exposed to labour at the age of 14 years especially in provinces such as New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and Labrador.
Contrastingly, there are those who begin to work at the age of 12 years especially in Alberta province (Roberts, 2010). These children are exposed to work for 2 hours during weekdays and 8 hours on weekends. Moreover, evidence has revealed that in British Columbia, a child as low as twelve years can work as long as the directors for employment standards give the permission. Exceptionally, it is only in Manitoba where children above the age of 16 years are allowed to work (Barnetson, 2009). Additionally, there are provinces such as Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward where children below the age of 12 years do not even need permit to work.
Roberts (2010) notes that people have gradually changed their attitude on child labour. Some decades ago, children at the age of 7 years were supposed to assist their family with household tasks. Nevertheless, the mentality changed with time and this made children to be subjected to work outside homes to boost the income of their families (Roberts, 2010). Notably, child labour has been perceived as a means through which children acquire useful skills in preparation for adulthood. For this reason, formal apprenticeship has highly contributed to employment of young children in Canada (Barman, 2012). That not withstanding, empirical research has revealed that the societal cultures especially in English Canada are a major cause of child labour (Roberts, 2010). In the meantime, children in Canada have been used as economic liabilities in their families, and this consumes much of their time for studies. Barman (2012) comprehends that during the era of 19th and 20th century, most of Canadian children began to evade labour and concentrated on their studies. In the period between 19th and 20th centuries, the percentage of children labourers gainfully reduced by 68% and a steady number of child labourers began to attend schools (Barnetson, 2009).
Besides, studies have revealed that there are certain restrictions that govern child labour in Canada. Barman (2012) asserts that individuals who employ children must obtain permission from their parents or other relevant authorities. Moreover, there are specific regulations that govern working conditions depending on the age of the child. Nevertheless, majority of employers in numerous provinces violate the Convention 138 of human labour. Notably in the convention, there is section 3 of article no. 2 that states that children under the age of 12 years should not be employed. In this case, the article considers a child as any individual who is below the age of 18 years. Even with such laws being enacted, provinces such as Alberto and Ontario continue to employ children at the age of 14years and below (Barnetson, 2009). In this case, it is suggested that appropriate penalties should be imposed on individuals who violate the act.
It is imperative to note that some of the types of employment offered to children have negative impacts to their health and safety. Despite the fact that majority of child labourers worked in agricultural farms, new jobs kept cropping up in factories. For instance, during the mid of 19th century, Canada was at the peak of industrialization and urbanization. In this case, a significant proportion of children labourers got new jobs in urban businesses, mines and textile mills (Roberts, 2010). For this reason, the number of attendance in school dropped while those who were gainfully employed rose tremendously. As a result, evidence has shown that most of the jobs were at their dead end. In this case, children were subjected into menial positions and were poorly paid (McLachlan, 2009). Needless to say, despite the fact that most of the jobs were done for apprenticeship purposes, they never landed the children to adult jobs. Instead, only children from well-up background benefited from better jobs.
As a result, the Canadian society saw the need to raise special concern for compulsory schooling. At this juncture, reformers came up with strategies to ban juvenile delinquency. Despite the labour legislations that were enacted by the government to stop child labour, it has still persisted in less visible forms. Research evidences have shown that even in the 21st century, there is a growing sensitivity in child labour where children are still allowed to work after school (McLachlan, 2009). Notably, there are restrictions that prohibit child labour and also encourage compulsory schooling. Nonetheless, there is lack clear legislation on the minimum age at which children should work. For this reason, there exist controversies facing the issue of age and number of working hours for Canadian children (Barnetson, 2009). This is due to the fact that these factors are considered independently in all the provinces. Moreover, there have been ethical distresses related on the way legislations protect the rights, health and safety of the minors who work in liquors, mines, factories and industries. With this in mind, there is need to have a relevant decision-making process in order to solve the impending ethical distress in regards to child labour.
The relevant decision-making process
Needless to say, child labour is an issue that deserve more attention since it has caused several health related challenges among children subjected to child labour (Barnetson, 2009). It is imperative to note that in every dilemma, there is need to have a relevant strategy of decisions-making in order to solve the ethical challenges (Barman, 2012). In the context of child labour, numerous ethics have to be put in place by society in order to eliminate the resultant side effects. In this case, when making decisions related to child labour, it is important for society to consider the best alternative for dealing with challenges facing child labourers. This has something to do with what can be done to ensure that children remain in school while their parents or guardians work. To emphasize on this, research has revealed that majority of children in Canada venture into early employment due to poverty (Barnetson, 2009). In this case, they face rough economic conditions, limited educational opportunities and lack of social amenities.
Barman (2012) observes that the society should come up with ethics that ensure that children are not exploited. In line with this, it is important to consider the obstacles that inhibit the use of ethics in society. Pointless, to say, there is need to harmonize the legislation acts in order to have a collective approach of eradicating child labour. In most cases, it is vital to consider the necessary steps that should be used in making ethical decisions and as well the concept of ethical sensitivity in the context of child labour (McLachlan, 2009). Having considered the above factors, a remarkable platform will be provided for a relevant decision-making process.
Child labor is one of the most persistent problems which face nations today. It is a big challenge which nations have to deal with for them to continue having a good standard of living for their citizens (Kolb, 2008). The high prevalence of this problem is evident by the high child work involvement rates both in our nation and many other developing countries. Research reveals that there is between 70 and 120 million children who work in each middle class economy. This is believed to be the highest number to be recorded in this century (Hindman, 2009). It is believed to be mainly caused by the high levels of poverty which are escalating every day.
Arnal, Tobin and Torres (2003) point out that it is poverty which compels children to child labor in order to support their families. Although child labor is a problem which is experienced all over the world, continuous studies have revealed that it is acute in regions which are socially and economically challenged. Apart from poverty, poor education and the lack of reliable sources of income for parents do force children to participate in child labor activities. The most profound issues in regards to child labor in middle economy nations are provision of healthcare, nutrition and education to all children. Parents who live in poverty cannot be able to evaluate the elementary facets applied in decision making. They lack the capacity to gather details, mount information and to come up with sound strategies for solving the social- economic issues which face them. This explains why the irrational steps of options which subject children to child labor have continued to exist. It is recommended that organizations which fight for social justice in society should come up with strategies which will help individuals to make sound and ethical decisions. Parents have to be empowered with skills of detaching emotions from their daily decisions. This will place them in a position which they can do away with child labor.
More than 80 per cent of child labor is experienced in rural areas (Arnal, Tobin & Torres, 2003). This is the case in most countries. Children are involved in agricultural related activities. The main tasks which characterize child labor are work done in fishery, forestry, livestock farming and crop farming. These are normally classified outside formal sector labor. Some governments also classify them as non industrial labor. It is also evident that a great portion of the children who work are limited to family settings. This is done to ensure that the civil society is not aware of what is happening in the labor market. It is one of the circumstantial decisions which call for special interventions from human rights institutions.
During the work they under take in the family settings, children develop varied experiences and skills which may be both traditional and modern. This is believed to be an important element which incorporates them in the running of a family. Decision making especially when an individual is in distress, is done through the consideration of the expected outcome. In this case, it is clear that society has been forced to lose this elementary aspect. This explains why it is possible to hide cases of child labor from regulatory bodies.
Most governments are keen to eradicate child labor. Very resilient commitments to the worthy cause have been observed in the international forums. Nations have embarked on the expression of their efforts through special programs, policies, legislations and appropriate constitutional provisions. Box (2008) indicates that the fundamental rights of children can only be preserved through the joint effort of the civil society. Indeed, this is the reason why every nation has been called to adopt the international policy on child rights. This ratification dictates that nations should champion for increased awareness on the issue of child labor. It is mandatory for governments to keep the international declarations on the protection, survival and stabilized development of children.
Child labor has proven to be a great challenge to the social and economic well being of societies. As a matter of fact, many families have embraced this unethical practice as their major source of income. It is not uncommon to see scores of children who work to cater for the needs of their families. This is observed when children undertake heavy household duties; assist in demanding family enterprises as well as undertaking formal work to obtain wages. In all these ways, the basic goal is normally to provide a consistent financial flow to cater for the unending needs of a family. Research shows that there are cases whereby children’s generated income accounts for more than forty per cent of the total earnings of a family (Gifford, 2009). In such cases, the income from child labor is deemed to be essential in the livelihood of the poor households. This is quite unfortunate towards the pursuit of ethics in society. It makes the lives of the common citizens of a nation miserable enough for them to forego the expected values of morality (Gifford, 2009).
Societal decision making relies heavily on the decisions made by the elite members. This is the case because knowledge on moral values used in the structuring of decisions is gained at a personal level. The decisions made in communities which are economically constrained are expected to have a large margin of compromise. This is not in line with the desirable standards of making socially acceptable decisions.
There is no need to keep a focus on the well being of society which is under too much pressure. Box (2008) notes that the decisions made in such societies are largely affected by compromise on ethics. The job providers end up submitting to the forces from the labor providers who are ready to take any available job. Besides, children continue to work without having the knowledge of what they should be doing at their age. There is no doubt that the economic conditions of families do not allow parents to bring up their children well. It is normally essential for them to allow their children to become alternative sources of income to supplement their income. In places where there are no established systems of ensuring social welfare, it becomes an acceptable thing to see children busy helping their parents in ensuring the upkeep of family (Kolb, 2008).
Some extreme cases have been experienced in areas where parents are perpetually unable to work and support the family. High interest rates make innocent children to work hard and complete their bonded labor. Parents in such situations are left with the choice of exchanging their children’s labor for money. Cases of bonded labor for children are highly enslaving. The desperate conditions created by poverty keep on making the desperate families to go back.
In order to ensure an effective control on child labor, it is important to improve the levels of literacy. Educational systems have to be made more adequate. It is well known that ineffectiveness in education is the major cause of poverty (Hindman, 2009). Children are forced to acquire informal skills in order to place them in a position where they can provide for their needs. In the case where education is not affordable, children are forced to spend time working to pay for it.
Child labor is a very transient developmental issue. It should be noted that it cannot be fully eliminated through the use of non unified efforts. The best strategy to curb this problem is the employment of interventions which focus on all the determinants of child labor (Gifford, 2009). Before making accusations to perpetrators of child labor, the society needs to make efforts of fulfilling the needs of all citizens. It is important to note that child labor cannot be finished if the need for it is not done away with. If the nation eliminates the need for the young people to work, then child labor is expected to decline automatically.
Child labor is one of the greatest hindrances to the propagation of ethical living. Children have continually been misused. A vicious cycle of unacceptable decisions by parents have continued to worsen the well being of children. This kind of decision making is regarded to be faulty since it lacks ethical intelligence. Due to such occurrences, it is impossible to rescue victims of child labor. People ought to learn the act of making morally acceptable decisions even when under economic crises. Box (2008) elaborates how most societies have developed poor social systems as a result of their tolerance of social ills such as child labor.
It is also worth mentioning that the problem of child labor will remain if the relevant authorities keep on applying a wrong approach in tackling it. This issue needs to be viewed as a major social-economic problem. It is a problem which has a very intrinsic social dimension. Child labor can only be eradicated if a holistic approach is chosen. This is a problem which involves everyone. Without the creation of a general understanding, it is impossible to come up with decisions which can change all the involved parties. The issue calls for a total revolution of the values of people. It is a change towards creation of better lives which can help in doing away with the mindsets which support child labor.
To reiterate on the above, child labour is one of the most exploitative acts where children below the age of 16 years are subjected to work as regular or sustained labourers. Canada is one of the countries in the world where the act is very rampant and has negative effects to the victims. Notably, the act of child labour is practiced in dissimilar ways in all the provinces in Canada. Research has shown that there is lack of proper legislations to govern the specific age and working condition for children. Therefore, despite the restrictions and regulation governing child labour, numerous provinces violate the rules and this has been one of the major ethical issues in Canada. However, one of the major causes of child labour in Canada is poverty whereby children work to boost the economy of their families. The resultant side effects of child labour are poor health and also limited time for study. Notably, a relevant decision-making process can be used to solve the ethical distress in the case of child labour in Canada. For this process to become relevant, the society should consider the effects of child labour and ethics that are crucial in solving the situation.
References
Arnal, E., Tobin, S. & Torres, R. (2003). Combating Child Labour: A Review of Policies, Paris: OECD.
Barman, J. (2012). The Canadian Encyclopaedia: Child labour. Web.
Barnetson, B. (2009). The Regulation of Child and Adolescent Labour in Alberta: Just Labour. A Canadian Journal of Work and Society. 13:29-37.
Box, R. (2008). Making a Difference: Progressive Values in Public Administration, New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Gifford, C. (2009). Child Labour, Paris: Evans Brothers.
Hindman, H. (2009). The World of Child Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey. New York: M.E. Sharpe.
Kolb, R. (2008).Encyclopedia of business ethics and society, London: Sage Publications.
McLachlan, J. (2009). The right choice making ethical decisions on the job. Ottawa: Pearson Education, Inc.
Roberts, K. (2010). The Child as Currency: Examining Adults’ Concepts of the Value of Childhood. The Plymouth Student Educator 2(1):40-49.