Child Labour

Setting the Scene

A few years ago there was uproar in the media; it appeared that footballs were being manufactured in less-developed countries using child labour.

The sporting goods industry in conjunction with the ILO (International Labour Organization) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) investigated the claims. They discovered that, in fact, more than 50 percent of the workforce was female. 

Football manufacturers responded to the media campaign by establishing "stitching centres". These workplaces were established centrally in town, so that the ball-stitchers can work under supervised conditions, rather than unseen at home. Furthermore, by only allowing work at a stitching centre, manufacturers could more easily ensure that no under-age workers are involved.


The Dilemma

Since the ball-stitchers were typically from predominantly Muslim communities, women and girls who had been content to work from home ended up losing their jobs as it was not (culturally) acceptable for them to work at stitching centres. The result was that an application of western standards led to unemployment and potential starvation.

Questions

  1. What is the positive nature of child labour in less-developed countries?
  2. How else could the football manufacturers have dealt with the child labour issue?
  3. Do you think it is ethical that children work during the day at a young age?
  4. Is it necessary for safety standards in overseas factories to reach the same high standards as those in the UK?


Discussion Points

(How would these further facts affect your judgement)

  • The factory is being operated according to overseas standards, but these do not match the standards set in the UK.
  • The cost that the factory owner has incurred in order to make the working conditions safe, means that he will employ fewer people.
  • There is a knock-on effect with the competing companies of improving conditions. The cost of improvements pushes the product price so high that the company becomes uncompetitive.