Child Labour in Pakistan. Business Ethics Essay

Child Labour in Pakistan. Business Ethics - Essay Example Governments began to press parents to send their children to school instead of forcing them to work. Question1 What are the main ethical issues under examination? The progress made by national economies among Western nations in the 20th century facilitated the schooling of children as parents did not need them to labour for wages to meet family expenses. The parents also began to see the advantage in ensuring that their children attended schools. In many developing nations, though, this is not yet a reality (Dessy and Vencatachellum 2003). Nations with a large percentage of low income societal classes have to constantly grapple with the issue of child labour because they need all family members to work in order to meet the family expenses. There are many ethical issues involved in child labour. In many developing nations, which often have the largest numbers of working children, the conditions in which children are forced to work are often deplorable. Children do not ask for higher w ages, unlike adult workers. They can also be forced or intimidated to work for long hours in dangerous conditions (Parker and Harkin 2007). This is why many unscrupulous employers in both developed as well as developing nations would prefer to work with children rather than adults when they have monotonous and dangerous work to be done. For instance, there are many plantations of crops in developing nations where child workers will be given pesticides to spray on the crops without being given any overalls or protective gear to wear in order to protect their skin and eyes. Child labour in many developing nations also tends to be gender biased. Among poor families, when there is only enough money to send one or two children to school, it is the male children who will be selected. Female children are then expected to work in order to sustain their brothers in school as well as providing for the family. This issue does not only affect the companies functioning in developing nations. Wit h globalisation, many multinational corporations have benefitted from the chance to expand to overseas locations. This means that they have the opportunity to take advantage of cheaper production that results from the use of child labour (Parker and Harkin 2007). In some cases, the foreign partners with which multinational corporations work keep the reality of child labourers away from them. However, in many cases, the multinational corporations may be aware of the use of children and may choose to turn a blind eye so as to make handsome profits. In nations such as Pakistan, children are often compelled to work for a pittance in sweatshop conditions (Gifford 2009). In such places, the children work in dimly lit areas that have poor ventilation and no sanitation facilities. The children work for long hours without any breaks for rest and are often subjected to sexual, emotional, and physical abuse by their supervisors. In addition, children who work overnight in such facilities are o ften locked inside the facilities in which they are working so that they may not steal anything in the absence of a supervisor. In the past, this has resulted in the tragic loss of life when fires suddenly erupted in the production facilities due to electrical faults. Another reason why child labour is wrong is that it steals childhood from children and can result in mental problems later as they struggle to reconcile themselves with the fact