Comprehensive Case Study: Child Labour, Its Impacts and Solutions

This case study provides a detailed analysis of child labour, defining it as work that harms children's physical and mental health and deprives them of their childhood. It explores the circumstances in which child labour might be seen as beneficial, such as alleviating poverty within families, while also highlighting the significant social, economic, mental, and physical effects on children. The study investigates the presence of child labour in global supply chains and discusses the social and legal challenges of enforcing bans. Recommendations for stopping child labour, such as raising awareness, increasing access to free education, and implementing stricter laws and punishments for those who employ children, are also provided. The study concludes that child labour negatively impacts children's well-being and emphasizes the importance of comprehensive efforts to eliminate it.

CASE STUDY BRIEF CHILD
LABOUR
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Circumstances in which child labour is beneficial......................................................................3
Social, economic, mental and physical effects............................................................................4
Child labour in supply chains......................................................................................................4
Social and legal challenges..........................................................................................................4
Recommendations........................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7
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INTRODUCTION
Child labour can be defined as work that children are doing as per their potential and
dignity, it is harmful for physical and mental health (Unicef, 2020). Work which is done by
children is dangerous for their health and they are socially or morally affected by it. The report
examines, child labour help children and their families to escape poverty, social, physical, mental
effects on children. People who are responsible for child labour in supply chains and some social
economic legal challenges.
MAIN BODY
Child labour can be defined as the work that deprives the children from their childhood,
their dignity and potential. And also, exploitation of their physical and mental development.
According to the International Labour Organisation it shows that not all children who are
engaged in child labour are victims. Children can benefit from work also (Rahikainen, 2017).
Arguments can be presented on both the basis that to ban or not to ban all forms of child labour.
In some countries, parents consider children as a source of income. It acts as a support to
poor families as children bring money. That is if there is a sick member in the family, the child
can work and bring in the money (Churchill and et.al., 2021). If there is an increase in poverty it
can also likely to leave child labourers and their families open to even greater exploitation. But
on other, to support the family if the child is working in a hazardous or dangerous condition
affecting its physical and mental health. The child can suffer from a very serious psychological
harm at a very young age which will affect the ability of the child and can also lead to non-
completion of his schooling.
If the child is working in a condition which is not affecting its mental health that is acting
as an opportunity for the child. He can have a benefit from it that he can sponsor his own
education fees and not creating a pressure on his parents. But on the other hand, if the children is
involved in the child labour at a young age permanently he would be considered illiterate as he
did not have access to school or any type of education due to long working hours (Krauss, 2017).
Circumstances in which child labour is beneficial
There are some situation in which child labour is beneficial like, to solve family problems,
collecting money for education, health and protection system. When in family, there is no
earning source then working of child can be beneficial, to solve issues face by family members
children are working. When parents of a children are not able to work, then children can work so
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that they can live life. Child labour is beneficial for family because it helps in solving problems
and children are source of earning. Child labour help children and their families to escape
poverty because children are earning money so that their needs can be fulfilled (Das and
Mukherjee, 2019). When more people are earning money in a family then there will be less
issues and they can earn their life easily. Child labour is affecting health of children and they
may face problems in future. Working in an industry or anywhere is not easy for children
because they are not having experience and this is the age of getting education.
Social, economic, mental and physical effects
Economic effect of child labour is that it helps in increasing household income and poverty
can be reduced. Children are working at low wages which is not good and they should go to
school instead of doing work in organisations. Their health is getting affected and they can suffer
from problems like, malnutrition, exposure to chemicals, abuse and exhaustion. They may also
suffer from chemical injury or accidents may occur while working on machines (Emerson and
Llewellyn, 2021). Physical health of children are affecting and it is not good for future of nation
because when children are not getting education then how they will get job. Child labour result
in extreme bodily and mentally also they are not well. Child labour is affecting mental health of
child because at the age when they should go to school, they are working. In an organisation,
there are many issues which children has to face and they have to work on machines which is
harmful for them.
Child labour in supply chains
Child labour in supply chain is affecting 168 million children globally. In rural areas and
informal parts, children are working because there is poverty and for living their life properly.
There is indirect relationship between child labour and global supply chain. Child labour occurs
at lowest tiers of supply chain, labour inspectors, consumers and sight of buyers. Children are
working because their family members are depending upon them and they have to earn money
for livelihood (Kazmi and Macfarlane, 2017). Some common industries where child labour is
most commonly found are, coffee, cotton, bricks, garment industry, tobacco industry.
Social and legal challenges
It is important to ban child labour completely so that children can get education and good
job opportunities in future. Laws should be made that no company will allow children to work
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and if they are found doing so then punishment should be given to them. There are many legal
and social challenges of enforcing a complete or partial ban on child labour. It is important to
ban child labour because children should get proper education and good opportunities in future.
In every company rule should be made that no child is going to work, this is the only way to ban
on child labour (Khatab and et.al., 2019). When legally child labour is banned then people of
rural area will face problems but it is essential to ban child labour completely because children
are facing issues mentally, physically and socially.
Recommendations
Some recommendations for stopping child labour are, spread awareness among people that
they should not send their children for doing work. More schools should be open by government
and free education should be provided to children who are not able to pay fees. Discouraging
people to hire small children for job and punishment should be given to ban child labour.
Campaigns should be organised to educate people that child labour should be stop because it is
harmful for health of children.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion it can be concluded that, child labour is affecting mental and
physical health of children. Circumstances in which child labour is beneficial like, when there is
no other earning source, poverty etc. has been discussed. Further, social, mental, physical effect
on children of working has been described. Some recommendations are provided which can be
used for stopping child labour.
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REFERENCES
Books and journals
Churchill, S. A., and et.al., 2021. Unconditional cash transfers, child labour and education:
theory and evidence. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. 186. pp.437-457.
Das, S. and Mukherjee, D., 2019. The impact of MGNREGS on child labour and child
education: an empirical analysis. Development in Practice. 29(3). pp.384-394.
Emerson, E. and Llewellyn, G., 2021. Youth with disabilities are more likely than their peers to
engage in hazardous child labour. Child: Care, Health and Development. 47(1). pp.119-
127.
Kazmi, B. A. and Macfarlane, M., 2017. Elimination of child labour: business and local
communities. In Business and Human Rights (pp. 181-196). Routledge.
Khatab, K., and et.al., 2019. Prevalence and risk factors for child labour and violence against
children in Egypt using Bayesian geospatial modelling with multiple imputation. PLoS
one. 14(5). p.e0212715.
Krauss, A., 2017. Understanding child labour beyond the standard economic assumption of
monetary poverty. Cambridge Journal of Economics. 41(2). pp.545-574.
Rahikainen, M., 2017. Centuries of child labour: European experiences from the seventeenth to
the twentieth century. Routledge.
Unicef, 2020. Child labour.
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