Child Labor: A Comparative Analysis of Anthropological Sources

This essay provides a comprehensive literature review on the topic of child labor, adhering to the guidelines set for the ANT2CAC course. The student has selected child labor as the focus and analyzed two anthropological texts, two reports from international organizations, and two media reports to fulfill the assignment requirements. The essay delves into the different approaches taken by each source, examining their focus, evidence, arguments, and theoretical frameworks. A comparative analysis highlights the key differences between the sources, and the conclusion identifies the most useful sources for understanding the complexities of child labor. The student explores the causes and consequences of child labor, drawing on various perspectives to present a well-rounded and critical evaluation of the issue.

Running Head: CHILD LABOR
CHILD LABOR
Name of the Student
Nam of the University
Author Note

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Child labor is one of the issues that is considered to be one of the influential social issues
that is dragging the society backward. It is astonishing that, even after a lot of awareness
generation programs all over the word, this era of scientific advancement is not able to get rid of
dreadful issues like child labor. Not only the developing countries but also the developed
countries are affected due to this social dilemma. Child labor is one of the major matter of
concern of sociologists, since the past there decades. Many of the sociologists have marked
poverty as the sole reason behind child labor. Most of the marginal or low –income parents have
the perception that their children can become the ways to meet their basic needs by earning
livelihood and sharing the burden of household expense. The objective of this study is to look at
the opinions of several experts on the matter of social degradation caused by child labor. In this
context, this study throws lights on the remarks made on child labor by two academic sources,
two organizational reports and two media reports.
“The Movements of Working Children and the International Labour Organization. A
Lesson on Enforced Silence.” is one of the significant research works, by Liebel and Invernizzi
that focuses on the fact how child labor curbs the rights of the children (Liebel & Invernizzi,
2019). This article has revealed the root causes behind child labor. This article argues that, even
in the developed countries like Australia child labor is one of the social issues, which is dragging
the country backward. According to this article, it is the lack of basic education that, poor parents
force their children to leave school and engage in hazardous works. According to this article,
nearly 73 million children in the country of Australia are affected by the hazardous labor that
they are forced to do (Liebel & Invernizzi, 2019). The article “The Movements of Working
Children and the International Labour Organization. A Lesson on Enforced Silence.” has used
evidences from “Labor Rights and Child Labor Laws in Australia”, for the purpose of

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establishing the facts. Arguments are presented and supported by child labor laws. This article
has claimed that child labor exploits the childhood and abolishes the future potentialities of the
children. This article has suggested that, each child should be saved from the economic
exploitation of the country they are living in. No child should be forced to be engaged in
hazardous work. Or in other words the ‘rights to education ‘of a child should not be intervened
by any kind of laborious works, which the child is forced to do by his or her parents or relatives
or extended family that help them earning their livelihood (Liebel & Invernizzi, 2019). This
article has used the theory of “exploitative child labor”. The theory has been defined using two
of the key features. Firstly, imperfect information or lack of knowledge of the parents about how
exploitative child labor can become, or how child labor abolishes the all kind of growth
potentialities of a child. Secondly, the firms employing little children in work do not only violate
child labor laws but also foster physical as well as mental torture of children (Liebel &
Invernizzi, 2019).
Besides physical and mental torture there are more dreadful incidences that child laborers
of the developing countries, need to undergo. The academic research article, “The working hours
of unpaid child workers in the handloom industry in India”, has focused on the exploitation of
child laborers by firms. As the evidence, this article has talked about the exploitation of child
laborers through hazardous work and wage discrimination. This article has used World
Economic Journal, as the evidences for the facts they have included. According to this article, the
rates of exploitation of child laborers are high in the developed countries like Australia. Nearly
44% of the total labor force of Australia is child labor below the age of 11 years who are
exploited by wage discrimination (Pal, et al., 2016). In order to present the arguments, this article
has shown that, children in the developing countries are forced to do hazardous work and receive

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insufficient wages in return. Sometimes, firms burden a child with the same hazardous workload
as compared to the adults but pay half of the wages paid to an adult worker. According to this
article, such exploitation is not only unethical but also cast upon adverse impact on the
psychological development of a child. This article has used the "endogenous growth theory" that
elaborates how hazardous labor can cause harm as well as injuries to the children and how
[parents ignorance to the harms and injuries of children engaged in Hazardous work hamper the
mental health of children engaged in child labor (Pal, et al., 2016).
The adverse impacts of child labor in Australia are also vivid in the reports published in
the organizational report, “Children in hazardous work: what we know, what we need to do”
focuses on the harmful effects of the hazardous work on child laborers (International Labor
Office 2011). In order to fulfill the objective, this report has used evidence from Exploitative
Child Labor theories. This theory states that often due to acute poverty parents do not bother
about the fact whether their children are engaged in hazardous and exploitative work or not. This
article has also revealed the fact that nearly 24% of the child laborers are engaged in hazardous
work (International Labor Office., 2011). The arguments in this report are based on the concepts
of child development. This report argues that hazardous work hampers the biological growth of a
child. According to this report, the teen-age of a child is the appropriate time for psychological as
well as biological development. Children hazardous labor do not get efficient wage, care from
parents and nutrition. Moreover, the industrious labor they do, is enough to damage their health
permanently. They do not receive sufficient love empathy both from the firm where they work
and from their parents. Sometimes, they do not even receive any medical treatment for their
injuries. Thus, their mental biological as well as psychological development is hampered
(International Labor Office., 2011). The argument in this report is based on the Child health and

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child labor theories. According to the theory hazardous work exploits child development. This
exploitation may result into different type of physical or mental disability (International Labor
Office., 2011).
“The Secret Lives of Britain’s Child Beggars”, is another organizational report that has
attempted to highlight horrible consequences of forcing children to be engaged into hazardous
child labor (Sweeney, 2011). This report has focused on the horrible consequences of forcing a
child to become a laborer. This may range from becoming beggars to getting indulged into illicit
activities unknowingly (Sweeney, 2011). This report has drawn evidences from research papers
on “Public Health in the Economies of Child Labor”. According to this report, nearly 40% of the
child laborers in the country of Australia are forced to be engaged into illicit activities (Sweeney,
2011). In order to present its arguments, this report has focused on the negative impacts of
forcing a child to indulge into hazardous work. The report ““The Secret Lives of Britain’s Child
Beggars” argues that, most of the parents in the low-income are not able to trace what are the
activities in which their children are forced to do. Parents of those children, become happy to see
their children earning livelihood. There are many Gangs involved in illicit activities that, take the
advantage of the low-income parents being ignorant of their children to be engaged in child
labor. As a result, often children involved in child labor, are trafficked. Child laborers are forced
to beg. Child laborers are often provoked to be indulged into drug smuggling or prostitution
(Sweeney, 2011). Finally, the child protection theories are highlighted in this report. According
to this theory, poor parents have to be aware of the engagement of their children as child
laborers. This report has also suggested for amendments in the child safety laws of Australia
(Sweeney, 2011).
In this context, the organizational report, “Whose life is it anyway?” has focused on the

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rights of the children to choose a happy as well as healthy life. This report argues that,
irrespective of their financial condition. (kanopystreaming.com, 2001). The data published by the
NGO “World Vision” are used as evidences. The presentation of the argument is based on the
human rights applicable to those who are under the age of 18. This report argues that, it is the
lack of basic education that the poor parents force their children to leave school and engage in
child labor like hazardous works, that may involve life-risks (kanopystreaming.com, 2001). This
report has used the theory of “exploitative child labor”, for the purpose of elaborating the types
of exploitation caused to children through their engagement in child labor. This includes, the
issues of deception of a child from right to education, right to freedom, rights to live a social
healthy life (kanopystreaming.com, 2001).
Several experts have suggested amendments in the ILO conventions so that children in
various developing as well as developed countries can be protected. In this context, the present
ILO conventions regarding the child labor in the country of Australia, can be mentioned. ILO
conventions regarding the child labor in the country of Australia are depicted in “World report
on child labour 2015: paving the way to decent work for young people”, has focused on the ILO
Convention No. 182. Through this convention this report has highlighted the dreadful picture of
child labor in several developed countries including Australia (International Labour
Organization, 2015). In order to present the arguments, this report, has provided the definition of
child labor as elaborated by worst forms of child labour (WFCL). Further this report has thrown
lights on the Convention No. 138 of ILO and has argued that, child labor produces a mentally as
well as physically unstable generation of workers. This is because; due to their engagement as
child labor the physical, mental development of a child are hindered. Poor wage and improper
nutrition exploit them. (International Labour Organization, 2015). Finally, the theories on child

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safety are mentioned in this report. This theory talks about on the adverse impacts of involving
children into hazardous works. In other words, this report has shown, how child labor can take
the form of forceful recruitment of children, slavery, child trafficking. This reports has suggested
that, child safety theories and amendments in the child safety laws of ILO’s Worst Forms of
Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) (International Labour Organization, 2015).
In the conclusion it can be said that, not only the developed but also the developing ones
are affected by this social dilemma called “child labor”. Experts like Liebel and Invernizzi have
pointed out that, poverty is the sole reason why most of the poor people in the developed
countries have the perception that their children can become the ways to meet their basic needs
by earning livelihood. Experts like Sweeney has revealed that, often parents of the children
engaged in the child labor are not able to trace what are the activities in which their children are
forced to be indulged into and become happy to see their children mitigating their basic needs.
As a result, often Firms carrying on illicit activities involve children into drug smuggling or
prostitution, forceful begging. All these interrupt the psychological, spiritual moral and physical
development of a child, and produce mentally instable generation. Hence, laws for child safety
are required to be strengthened.

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References
International Labor Office. (2011). Children in hazardous work: what we know, what we need to
do. International Labour Office.
International Labour Organization. (2015). World report on child labour 2015: paving the way to
decent work for young people. International Labour Organization.
Liebel, M., & Invernizzi, A. (2019). The Movements of Working Children and the International
Labour Organization. A Lesson on Enforced Silence. Children & Society, 33(2), 142-
153.
Pal, J. K., Chakraborty, S., Tewari, H. R., & Chandra, V. (2016). The working hours of unpaid
child workers in the handloom industry in India. International Social Science Journal,
66(219-220), 197-204.
Sweeney, J. (2011). The Secret Lives of Britain’s Child Beggars. BBC,< http://news. bbc. co.
uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9618000/9618038. stm.
kanopystreaming.com (2001). Whose life is it anyway. Retrieved 25 July 2019, from
https://www. latrobe.kanopystreaming.com / video/whose-life-it-anyway