Tuesday, 19 May 2009
What is exploitation?
Child exploitation is a term which includes forced or dangerous labour. The term is used to refer to situations where children are abused- physically, verbally, or sexually- or when they are submitted to unsatisfactory conditions as part of their forced or voluntary employment. Many of the children who suffer from exploitation do so because they have no other choice. They may also have been forced into child labour, either in their own country or somewhere internationally. Child exploitation occurs all over the world, and for many different reasons. Some of the more dangerous forms of child exploitation occur outside of the UK- in developing countries in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa where labour is cheap and people do the jobs usually reserved for machines and factories.
These countries are poor and economically weak, so it is quite easy for the governments of developed countries to exploit them. Governments do this mainly in relation to multilateral trade agreements. Multinationals do this by making sure that the benefits of their operations in poor countries mainly go to their shareholders instead of the governments and people of the country. A multinational business is a business that has been participated in by more than two nations or government parties.
Key points about economic and social exploitation of children and young people are:
1) Many forms of child labour involve the economic exploitation of children and young people.
2) Commercial sexual exploitation of children and young people involves sexual abuse and payment of money to them or a third party.
3) Forms of commercial sexual exploitation include sex tourism involving children and child pornography. Early marriage is considered a form of sexual exploitation.
Many forms of child labour involve the economic exploitation of children and young people. For example, a study in Zambia revealed that the most common forms of child labour includes quarrying and stone crushing, work on the streets and work in commercial farms. Some people regard all child labour as exploitative.
Exploitation statistics
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in the mid '90s estimated that the number of street children worldwide was 100 million.
According to UNICEF, there are about 25 million street children in Asia and an estimated 10 million in Africa (1998).
In Dhaka, Bangladesh, there are 10,000 girls living in the streets (World Vision).
The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen work in developing countries.
Some fifty to sixty million children between the ages of five and eleven work in hazardous circumstances. In addition to traditional involvement in agricultural and domestic work, children are now involved in a whole range of extractive and manufacturing sectors, often in dangerous and exploitative conditions.
Of the world's 1.2 billion people living in poverty, more than 600 million are children (UNICEF: The State of the World's Children, 2000).
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons.
Economic sanctions are penalties applied by one country (or group of countries) on another. Economic sanctions include import duties. This means that imports from outside the European Union (EU) into the UK must be declared to HM Revenue & Customs.
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1077947854
Well known examples of economic sanctions include the United Nations sanctions against South Africa and the United States embargo against Cuba (1962-present).
Other ways that governments can affect the international business environment include protectionism or buying and selling land in poor countries.
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states, through methods such as tariffs on imported goods and a variety of other restrictive government regulations designed to discourage imports.
The Cambodian government has sold almost half of its land- without reference to the people who live there.
The countries shown in blue are the high income countries.
The countries shown in green are the upper-middle income countries.
The countries shown in purple are the lower-middle income countries.
The countries shown in red are the low income countries.
I urge you to read this blog and understand the issues described and how it affects businesses operating internationally. Examples will be provided to show this. Ethical issues will also be described using relevant illustrations, giving links to specific resources that can be read by anyone and explaining what ethics are.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Ethics are the principles guiding behaviour. In relation to business behaviour, an ethical corporation would be expected to take into account issues of right and wrong when making decisions. Attention to international business practices must earn the respect and confidence of their customers in relation to their legal behaviour.
Many terms in business ethics refer to corporate offices and programs intended to communicate, monitor and enforce a company's values and standards. The term "ethics" can cause problems in an international context because the term can be difficult to find a common understanding for other countries because the term does not translate well, some organisations choose to use other terms, such as integrity, business practices or responsible business conduct.
http://www.business-ethics.org/primer.asp
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Child labour
What is child labour?
Child labour statistics and examples
An estimated 8.4 million children are trapped in the worst forms of child labour that, under any circumstance, is considered unacceptable for children. Across the world, millions of children do extremely hazardous work in harmful conditions, putting their health, education, personal and social development, and even their lives at risk.
At least 13% of the world’s children are working, 94% of those are in the developing world countries.
Up to 250 million children under the age of 14 work across the globe in a wide range of occupations.
A Chinese company has been stripped off its licence to make merchandise for the 2008 Beijing Olympic games after admitting that it used child workers.
Child labour can be found in nearly every industry. For example, nearly 70% of child labour occurs in agriculture, fishing, hunting and forestry. Children have been found harvesting oranges in Brazil, cocoa in the Ivory Coast, tea in Argentina and Brazil and fruits and vegetables in the U.S. Children in commercial agriculture can face long hours in extreme temperatures, health risks from pesticides, little or no pay and inadequate food and water.
About 15 million children are estimated to be directly involved in manufacturing goods for export. This includes children working in carpet making factories, glass blowing units and making fireworks with bare hands in India. Pakistan and Egypt are also directly involved. For example, clothing is sewn in Bangladesh, glass and bricks are made in India and surgical instruments are made in Pakistan.
Children as young as 6 or 7 years old break up rocks, and wash, sieve, and carry ore. 9 year old children work underground setting explosives and carrying loads. Children work in Colombia mining gold and emeralds, coal in Mongolia and Charcoal in Brazil.
Most child labour (60%) occurs in Asia. This is shown on the globe below:
Child labour in relation to international business activities
Nike and Gap were exposed on Panorama in November 2000 as they had child workers stitching products in a Cambodian factory, in breach of their employment codes.
Business Week also exposed appalling conditions in a factory in Guangdong, southern China, which makes handbags for Walmart. The retailer had a code of conduct that appeared to have been ignored by its supplier.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1094/is_3_35/ai_64396571/