





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.
Exploitation statistics
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF in the mid '90s estimated that the number of street children worldwide was 100 million.
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.
http://www.business-ethics.org/primer.asp
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.