1
Be it resolved that careful use of child labour
is a positive force for development

• The pro-team
• Basia Pakula, Rhonda Byers, Aldea Wood

2
Introduction

• The question of morality
• Exploitation, understood as inhumane working
  conditions, is something to be avoided per se,
  regardless of the age of the worker (Journal of
  International Affairs, Fall 2001)

3
Child Labour in Perspective

• The different perceptions of child labour
• Developed vs. LDCs
• Child labour was at one time prevalent throughout
  the world
• Statistics show that child labour did not start
  declining in Britain and the United States until
  the second half of the 19th C. (Lopez-Calva,
  2001)
• Child labour is more common in rural communities
  than in urban centres (International Council of
  Nurses, 2000)

4
Child Labour in Perspective

• Stages of Growth
• LDCs are currently in the early stages of growth
• Large population
• Low life expectancy
• Largely agricultural based economy
• No insurance/no welfare
• Little skilled labour comparative advantage
  mainly derived from labour intensive production

5
The demographic structure
6
Child Labour Why is it good for development?

• Income rises
• Working children have been shown to contribute
  up to almost 90 of the family income (Scanlon
  et al., 2002)
• Peru and Pakistan
• Children in developing countries make a
  perceptible contribution to pulling their
  families out of poverty (Ranjan, 2000)

7
Peru and Pakistan Case
Peru Pakistan
of children in poverty (exluding childrens earnings in household income 30.4 for boys 29.4 for girls 27.1 for boys 25.6 for girls
of children in poverty including childrens earnings in household income 29.3 for boys 29.0 for girls 23.4 for boys 23.7 for girls
Source Ranjan, 2000
8
Child Labour Why is it good for development?

• Reduces migration to urban centres
• Dr. Devoretz The key to development is clean
  water, televisions, birth control, and keeping
  population in the rural areas.
• Two-thirds of child workers live in the
  countryside 20 of them are between 5 and 9
  years old, compared with only 5 in this same age
  bracket in towns and cities (International
  Labour Organization, 1999)
• Allowing low wage child labour in agriculture
  helps exploit comparative advantage of LDCs and
  further develops the agricultural sector

9
Child Labour Why is it good for development?

• Western anti-child labour arguments A
  form of protectionism?
• The International Labour Standards (ILS) is an
  instrument of developed nations to take hidden
  protectionist measures against LDCs
• The strongest opponents to ILS agreements are the
  countries who are meant to benefit from them, the
  LDCs

10
Child Labour Why is it good for development?

• ILS are usually supported by powerful lobbies in
  developed nations, such as labour unions
  interested in protecting local industries from
  competitive trade (Lopez-Calva, 2001)
• Protectionist measures (such as banning imports
  of goods produced by children) restrict the
  exports of LDCs which actually impedes the
  decline of child labour. This is because the more
  export-oriented industries become, the less
  likely they are to use child labour since a
  higher level of technical sophistication is
  required. (ibid)

11
Why child labour is preferable to alternatives

• Child labour negatively impacts human capital
  accumulation effects on health and education
• Health
• hazardous work is not part of this debate
• Regardless of negative impacts on health, careful
  use of child labour which increases family income
  is positive for health (money for food and
  medication)
• Education
• It is not clear that child labour is an
  important factor in temporary absences from
  school (Ravallion et al, 2000)

12
Why child labour is preferable to alternatives
Bangladesh Case
Main reason for the longest absence from school in the last three months Main reason for the longest absence from school in the last three months Main reason for the longest absence from school in the last three months Main reason for the longest absence from school in the last three months Main reason for the longest absence from school in the last three months
Rural Urban Non-poor Poor
Sickness 25.5 23.3 24.8 26.1
Child Labour 15.0 7.7 13.5 14.3
Bad Weather 20.5 14.5 18.9 21.0
Unscheduled vacation 11.1 19.2 12.7 11.6
Other 28.0 35.4 30.2 27.2
Source Ravallion and Wodon, 2000
13
Why child labour is preferable to alternatives

• Education cont
• school attendance and learning are not
  synonymous the returns to education for poor
  children are often relatively low, largely
  because of the poor quality of available schools
  (Anker, 2000)
• In too many schools children are crowded into
  small rooms, thereby creating an environment
  conducive to transmission of disease they are
  subjected to mental abuse, being repeatedly
  criticized and humiliated, and they are subjected
  to physical abuse where corporal punishment is
  used. (ibid)

14
Conclusion

• Although it is intuitive and morally compelling
  that () child labour should be eliminated,
  banning it in poor countries is unlikely to be
  welfare improving and can come at the expense of
  human capital accumulation. (Dessy, 2001)
• Careful use of child labour is a positive force
  for development