The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > The invisible hand > Comments

The invisible hand : Comments

By Rosie Williams, published 10/12/2008

We are able to pay bargain-basement prices for our consumer culture because of the torturous conditions of child workers.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. 3
  5. All
Thank you Rosie for another human rights wake up.
As I see it as a human family, the old golden rule is fundamental to a happy, healthy society; "That we do to others as we would like done." What a principal! so simple, but sound, and so positive and pro-active; that 'We Do'(first) constructive leadership with example
Posted by home tutor, Wednesday, 10 December 2008 2:39:09 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Sadly, Rhian is right. Morally repugnant as child exploitation is, we need to be careful that, with the best intentions in the world, we don't make the situation worse. I don't like the Fair Trade movement for that reason.

This is not an excuse for doing nothing. The Oaktree Foundation and similar initiatives deserve our support as do all attempts to free up world trade and thereby significantly reduce the numbers of people living in poverty.
Posted by Senior Victorian, Wednesday, 10 December 2008 4:16:13 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Two questions:
1. If forced labour is an abuse of human rights, what about taxation? Isn't it the forced taking of someone else's labour or fruits thereof? Obviously it's no defence that taxation is is legal, since it's no defence of forced labour. How do you distinguish it? Don't we have a human right not to have government treating us as their property, and threatening us with being violated and brutalised to force us to comply?

2. If the choice facing a child is starvation or work, are you saying they would be better off dead than employed in conditions you disapprove of?
Posted by Diocletian, Wednesday, 10 December 2008 5:43:15 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Dear Mr. Right!

I really care about the workers in the third world!
I think people should be careful when they buy things... I always try to buy at shops, where I know that they don't have third world workers!
.. but to do this is very difficult in our country!
Posted by daltong2005, Thursday, 11 December 2008 2:50:08 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Diocletian, forced labour is not legal as far as I am aware, taxation is so I don't have any trouble differentiating the two in terms of their ethics. Your post does make one consider what logical link there is between taxation and slavery.

If a country taxes people without providing anything in return that seems like a breach of human rights and reminds me of totalitarian regimes. I think the human rights conventions do place responsibility on government to be answerable to their citizens.

Where countries tax to provide public health, infrastructure, education and housing then we have our modern democratic nations. Without such public spending it is difficult to increase productivity and it also creates the situations which you appear believe justify child slavery.

Taxation, along with political enfranchisement plays a very important role in creating the difference between first and third world countries.
Posted by Rosie Williams, Thursday, 11 December 2008 10:43:24 AM
Find out more about this user Visit this user's webpage Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Rhian, thanks for the url although I find the ILO paper, Strategies for Eliminating Child Labour: Prevention, Removal and Rehabilitation at
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/comp/child/conf/oslo/syn.htm an easier read.

It is difficult to paraphrase such an extensive report as there is so much pertinant information it is difficult to decide which points are more important to quote. I expect to look further into the issue of trade boycott/consumer blacklist as opposed to other measures for future articles. I was aware of the issue previously and it is acknowledged in the ILO and UNICEF documents however I believe that raising awareness among consumers is an important link in raising the kind of political (or personal) will to address these concerns for both governments and individuals.

My view is that public debate is one way to tease out the issues, to inform and that dissenting or clarifying voices can lead to better policy positions on these matters.
Posted by Rosie Williams, Thursday, 11 December 2008 11:29:08 AM
Find out more about this user Visit this user's webpage Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. Page 2
  4. 3
  5. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy