Webzine project. Child labor.

Vietnam - A country in Southeast Asia. 12 june - a day when world is fighting against child labor. What is the connection? Vietnam is one of the countries that violate child rights. Why this particular region? Because  very few sources mention about this problem in the human rights reports; child labor on sweatshops and fields in Vietnam is for some reason left unspotted and underestimated. This part of our blog is going to focus on the child labor in Vietnam, it is going to define the child labor, provide examples and statistics, make suggestions how can we resolve the problem in Vietnam. 

Lets start off from the background information and some data. The population of the country is about 93,421,832 people. The overall population of children aged from 5-17 age group is estimated to be 18,349,629 people, accounting for 20.7per cent of the national population. What is striking is that 1.75 million Vietnamese children, with two in every five of them under 15 of age, working in situations that fit the definition of child labor. Lets define child labor now. Child labor is - work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. This work takes place along a Continuum, from work that is beneficial, promoting or enhancing a child’s development without Interfering with schooling, recreation and rest to work that is simply destructive or exploitative. Who is child labor? It is the

any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under a state’s own domestic legislation.

            Knowing the definitions we can go further and actually look at the concrete examples, which show the violation of human rights of a child. I want to bring up an attention to the sweatshops which employs children from 5-17 and pay them minimum wages that they can not even support themselves during the day with appropriate amount of food. One of the most famous examples is a Nike factory. The corporation decided to save money on the labor, by using cheap Vietnamese labor , in order to maximize advertising campaigns and hire the most expensive models. The average wage on Nike factory was 20 cents and hour or 1.60 dollars a day which is less than the minimum standard of living is Vietnam ( estimated as 2 $ a day). Children faced inhuman conditions at the shoe manufacturing. Most of the kids aged 5-17 are working more than 42 hours per week in order to support their families.

            Another example of child labor/ slavery in Vietnam is field work. I would call employers “slaveholders” just because they take kids from the rural areas and bring them far away from their homes, so they would have to work on the employer without any possible chance to run away. Yes, we are still talking about children aged from 5-17. It happens on factories too. Children are locked up in a small room making clothes and working from 6 am till midnight with restricted number of rest including bathroom visits and showering in the morning, which is about 8 minutes every day. In many cases slaveholders do not pay any wages.

            After all, should we blame the government that lets businesses enslave children? Yes and no. Yes - because the government signed (26 Jan 1990 ) and ratified (28 Feb 1990 )  the convention of the rights of the child. This means that right away article 32 of the convention is not followed. Moreover, the government has a restriction policy for juniors which are aged from 11-17 (!only not even talking about 5-10 age group!) should work no more than 42 hours a week and should have appropriate work conditions which do not harm their health, do not affect their education, do not exhaust toxic chemicals and all of that should be supervised by MOLISA. ( MINISTRY OF LABOR INVALIDS AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS). No- because employers usually find loops in the law and enslave children on the terms written by the government. In most cases if they get approval by MOLISA they can make a child work for them, although any exploitation of the child younger than 15 years old is prohibited. What is more that to some extend government have no power in the child upbringing, some Vietnamese families believe that child from early age should contribute to the family budget, therefore children end up working on the domestic household working for miserable wages and no wages at all.

            How can we stop the problem? I believe that the only solution would be to enforce laws, which would absolutely protect rights of the children. The employers should be penalized financially for child labor, more than that they should pay back child’s family for all the working time (when one hour payment equal or higher than minimum wage). I believe that government should reconsider the laws and MOLISA should enforce stricter policy to protect child rights. The corporation like NIKE and other manufactories should be penalized financially too, because the shut down would lead to a crash in the Vietnamese economy, which is very well growing now.

Works cited:

• Brown, Marianne. "Vietnam's Lost Slave Labour Children." BBC News. N.p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 June 2014.
•  Fabics, Christine. "Nike's Use of Child Slave Labor." IHS Child Slave Labor News ::. N.p., June 2005. Web. 15 June 2014.

•            Huong, Nguyen Thi Lan, Nguyen Bao Cuong, and Tonh Thi Mai Hong. CHILD LABOUR SURVEY 2012 (n.d.): n. pag. Mar. 2014. Web. 11 June 2014.
  
  
•        What Is Child Labour." What Is Child Labour. ILO, n.d. Web. 15 June 2014.
     
  
  
•        "UNTC." UNTC. UN, n.d. Web. 17 June 2014.
• 
  

Research Paper Outline

I.               Introduction:

Due to the fact that World Cup 2014 is the event which brings everyone in the world together Vietnamese soccer player Le Cong Vinh decided to take part  in the event in the New York against child labor. It took place 12 of June because 12 of June is considered to be an international day against child labor in the world.

“Child labor deprives children of their childhood, robs them of the opportunity to live life to its fullest potential and destroys their dignity,” striker Cong Vinh said.» (News VietNamNet 1)

«The International Labor Organization (ILO) launched the World Day Against Child Labor in 2002 to focus attention on the global extent of child labor and the action and efforts needed to eliminate it. Each year on 12 June, the World Day brings together governments, employers and workers organizations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child laborers and what can be done to help them.» (UN news center)

            II. Background information.

In this section i want to talk about what is child labor , who is involves in the child labor and what are the statistics about child labor in Vietnam.

“In reality, children do a variety of work in widely divergent conditions. This work takes place along a Continuum, from work that is beneficial, promoting or enhancing a child’s development without Interfering with schooling, recreation and rest to work that is simply destructive or exploitative. There are Vast areas of activity between these two poles.” (UN 2

“any human being under the age of eighteen, unless the age of majority is attained earlier under a state’s own domestic legislation” (Huong et al 6)

About 67per cent of child laborers work less than 42 hours per week, however as many as 569,000 (32.4per cent) exceed 42 hours of weekly work. Most child laborers aged 15-17 fall into the latter group, with half on average working above 42 hours/week.

           II. Initial Answer.

Why it is the problem ? Why should the world care about the child labor ? why Vietnam?

“There are 1.75 million Vietnamese children, with two in every five of them under 15 of age, working in situations that fit the definition of child labour adopted for this report. That is work undertaken by children below the appropriate legal minimum working age set by Viet Nam’s national laws and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO’s) guidelines.” ( Country survey 1)

“The size of the 5-17 age group is estimated to be 18,349,629 people, accounting for 20.7per cent of the national population, with boys making up 52.2per cent and girls 47.8per cent. This age bracket constitutes 18.4per cent of the urban population and 21.8per cent of the rural one.” (Huong et al 10)

“About 67per cent of child labourers work less than 42 hours per week, however as many as 569,000 (32.4per cent) exceed 42 hours of weekly work. Most child labourers aged 15-17 fall into the latter group, with half on average working above 42 hours/week.”  (Huong et al 29)

“The law prohibits most child labor but allows exceptions for certain types of work. The law sets the minimum age for employment at 18 years, but enterprises may hire children between ages 15 and 18 if firms obtain permission from parents and MOLISA. Enterprises hiring young labor (ages 15-18) have to provide special considerations concerning working hours, annual leave, and working environment. Children ages 15-18 may work a maximum of eight hours per day and 40 hours per week and must receive special health care.” (Vietnam HR survey 49)

            III. Transition/Refutation as Transition to Refined Answer or Secondary research question(s)

In this section i want to pay attention to the sweatshops in Vietnam such as Nike which became famous all over the world. Nike case was especially booming in the beginning of 21st century when the company decided to shift all the manufacturing to Asia just because it has a cheaper labor. What happened is that nike was in the middle of the conflict because the company used child labor and did not pay appropriate wages moreover saved money from labor were directed towards advertising campaigns in which they would hire celebrities and pay millions of dollars rather than increase the wage for workers and stay within the government laws.

«Workers at Vietnam Nike shoe manufacturing plants make $.20 an hour or $1.60 per day. The average cost of three meals is $2 a day, meaning that most people skip meals throughout the day. During the first three months of employment, all workers receive $37 per month, which is below the minimum wage of $45 per month in Vietnam. Nike claims that the workers are paid a lower wage because the law in Vietnam allows for a training wage less than the minimum wage.» (Fabrics 1)

There are many inhumane working conditions that these workers have to deal with while working. For example, workers are not allowed to go to the bathroom more than once per eight hour shift, and they can't drink water more than twice per shift. It is also very common for workers to faint from exhaustion, heat, fumes, and poor nutrition while they are working.  (Fabrics 1)

              IV. Refined Answer the research question, or Answer to the secondary question.

What happens with Vietnamese kids on other factories and places of work, how much are they paid there . Just to show that Nike is the only famous and World known factory, but Vietnam faces the way more cruel treatment of a child.

«He and 11 other children from his village were taken by bus on a 2,100km (1,300 miles) journey and put to work in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), south Vietnam.»

«They spent the next two years locked in a cramped room making clothes for a small garment factory with no wages.»

"We started at 6am and finished work at midnight," he said. "If we made a mistake making the clothes they would beat us with a stick."

"Last year we raided one factory. I think 14 people work, sleep, eat in a small room with the machines," says Blue Dragon's lawyer. "The factory owner only let them go to the bathroom for eight minutes a day, including brushing your teeth, washing, going to the toilet. "

(Brown 1)

                 VI. Refutation (objection)

I want to bring up an attention to the governmental laws and policies from Vietnamese Labor convention which was modified in 2005 and as well article from convention of the rights of the child which talks about protection of the child and why the government does not follow it, why no one cares. Moreover i would say briefly about organization called MOLISA, which is in charge of protection of the human rights in Vietnam,

“National child care and protection legislation has been greatly enhanced in recent times, building on Viet Nam’s achievement as the first Asian country and the second nation in the world to ratify the CRC on 20 February 1990. Since then, the Vietnamese Government has proactively incorporated related international laws into its national legal documents and accelerated the implementation of policies protecting children’s rights.” (Huong et al 4)

“MOLISA is responsible for enforcing child labor laws and policies. Government officials may fine and, in cases of criminal violations, prosecute employers who violate child labor laws.” (Vietnam HR survey 49)

“The admission to work of children under 15 years of age shall be prohibited, except in certain categories of occupations and work as prescribed by the MOLISA”.

“An employer is only permitted to employ junior orkers in occupations suitable to the health of such workers that ensure their physical, spiritual and personal development.” (Huong et al 7)

“The employment of junior workers is prohibited in heavy/dangerous work, work with exposure to toxic substances or work and/or a workplace which may badly influence their personality, as prescribed in the list issued by the MOLISA and Ministry of Health (MOH).” (Huong et al 7)

“Junior workers’ hours should not exceed seven hours per day or 42 hours per week.” (Huong et al 8)

“An employer shall only be permitted to employ junior workers to work overtime or work at night in certain categories of occupations and work determined by the MOLISA” (Huong et al 8)

                             VI. Refutation ( rebuttal)

Child labor has certain drawbacks and one of them is that children can not go to school and get education. Regardless, the Vietnamese government has achieved  incredible results in children schooling , which have to be noticed and taken into consideration.

"Viet Nam has made considerable achievements in universal education thanks to the Law on Education and various support programs for children living in special circumstances. As a result, the majority of Vietnamese children have access to schooling. Statistically, 93.4per cent of five-year-old children go to kindergartens, while 90.3per cent of children aged 6-17 go to school or receive formal vocational training. However, nearly 10per cent of those in the 6-17 age group do not attend school, 4.7per cent of whom will never attend school." (Huong et al 2)

                           VII. Conclusion

We as a society should raise awareness and strongly prohibit child labor. Especially for such corporations which are world known. In order to do that UNISEF has to organize regular check ups for the factories and fields but without any notification to see the actual truth, those who will violate the rules governments should strictly punish financially and for extreme cases with a prison. We need to protect children human rights, we need to let them know that  they have one, those who would decide to violate them should face the law ,otherwise it would be hard to stop. I think public shame for organizations such as Nike can be appropriate too.

                      Works cited:

1.     Brown, Marianne. "Vietnam's Lost Slave Labour Children." BBC News. N.p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 June 2014.

2.     "Child Labour." CHILD LABOUR (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 15 June 2014.

3.     "Child Labour, Labor, Children, Adolescents, Slave, Unpaid Work, Debt Bondage, Serfdom, Forced Labour, Trafficking." UN News Center. UN, 12 June 2014. Web. 12 June 2014.

4.     Fabics, Christine. "Nike's Use of Child Slave Labor." IHS Child Slave Labor News ::. N.p., June 2005. Web. 15 June 2014.

5.     Huong, Nguyen Thi Lan, Nguyen Bao Cuong, and Tonh Thi Mai Hong. CHILD LABOUR SURVEY 2012 (n.d.): n. pag. Mar. 2014. Web. 11 June 2014.

6.     "Le Cong Vinh Holds up Red Card against Child Labour - News VietNamNet." Le Cong Vinh Holds up Red Card against Child Labour - News VietNamNet. VOV, 12 June 2014. Web. 15 June 2014.

7.     "One in Ten Vietnamese Youngsters Aged 5-17 in Child Labour." Country Survey:. ILO, Mar. 2014. Web. 13 June 2014.

8.     United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). “Fact Sheet: Convention on the Rights of the Child.” New York: United Nations. 19 May 2014. Web. 21 May 2014.

9.     Whom, Hist Church Of Vietnam, Country Reports On Human Rights Practices For 2012, and United States Department Of State • Bureau Of Dem. VIETNAM 2012 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (n.d.): n. pag.Http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/204463.pdf. United States Department of State, 2012. Web. 12 June 2014.

Class work

0.Some might say that human rights have done little for these children. 1.Even though the human rights agreements may seem to have little immediate effect in the short term, they may still have value in the case of child labor. 2. (missing the signal phrase) Jack Donnelly, author of International Human Rights writes, 3. (missing quotation marks + reference)  “Human rights initiatives that bring no direct change in a government’s practices may nonetheless have positive effects by supporting local human rights advocates or delegitimating repressive regimes” (Donnelly 143). (missing number 4 – paraphrase of the quote and 5- analysis of the quote ) 4. This means that although human rights may not have any direct government changes in terms of laws and rules, it can still have positive outcomes by support from local authorities and therefore be helpful by bringing the acknowledgements of these issues. 5. In this case, the positive changes are that the child labor advocates in Calcutta benefit in a more subtle way, by being able to claim the legitimacy of international human rights.

MLA format citation for my research paper

1) Fabics, Christine. "Nike's Use of Child Slave Labor." IHS Child Slave Labor News ::. N.p., June 2005. Web. 11 June 2014. 
This article gives a background information about Nike sweatshops in Vietnam, it defines child labor and provides a brief history of Nike factories. As well it talks about  how much children earn per hour and workers are humiliated at work. 
2) Whom, Hist Church Of Vietnam, Country Reports On Human Rights Practices For 2012, and United States Department Of State • Bureau Of Dem. VIETNAM 2012 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (n.d.): n. pag.Http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/204463.pdf. United States Department of State, 2012. Web. 12 June 2014.
This is basically a report about the country Vietnam. It covers all kinds of human rights and give background from the first place. I want to focus on 2 parts from this article which is children and working rights. This article confirms that it is illegal to work for children under 18 years old . IT provides statistic how many children were reported working as well it says that such organization as MOLISA is responsible for laws and policies enforced in Vietnam. 
3) "Approving the National Program on Child Protection in the 2011-2015 Period." Http://www.molisa.gov.vn/. MOLIS, 22 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 June 2014.
This article is from the MOLISA website which stands for Ministry of labour- invalids and social affairs in Vietnam. This particular article talks about the national program which was signed by prime minister of Vietnam to protect children. How they are planning to protect children, this contains 4 articles in particular. 
4) "One in Ten Vietnamese Youngsters Aged 5-17 in Child Labour." Country Survey:. International Labour Organization1, 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 13 June 2014.

This article is another background information about vietnamise kids being working for incredible amount of hours per week and wage at about 9.2 cents an hour. 

5)Ministry Of Labour Invalids, Social Affairs, and General Statistics Office. CHILD LABOUR SURVEY 2012 (n.d.): n. pag.Http://www.ilo.org. 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 12 June 2014.

This is a huge database which i did not have time to read through but it is a great source for my research paper because it provides findings about the child labour in 2012 i want to look at chapter 4 which is full background about: 

"4.1. Size and distribution of child labour 25 4.2. School attendance of child labourers 26 4.3. Sectoral composition of child labour 26 4.4. Type of work performed by child labourers 27 4.5. Ages that children start work of the child labour group 28 4.6. Weekly working hours of child labourers 29 4.7. Working venues of child labourers 30 4.8. Income of households with child labourers 31 4.9. Health and work safety issues 31 4.10. Children in hazardous-at-risk work 34 4.11. Children working excessive hours " it will give me bigger basement for work and it will give me more information to prove my points. 

Research paper

Many adults can protect their human rights just due to the fact that they are adults and have some life experience. I was going through the reports in Asian countries with human rights violations and i found out that child labor on sweatshop factories is a big deal especially in Asian countries.

The issue - Child labor (with a focus on sweatshops)

The region- Vietnam and Indonesia ( because the most incidents appeared in this 2 countries, since the research paper has word limits i would just cover this 2 countries). But i may provide examples from other countries. 

Groups Working on The Issue - The United Nations, Amnesty International

Question: How can we prevent children from being exploited on sweatshop factories? How can we at least make an effort to stop employers hiring children under 15 years old? What are the possible solutions to the problem since companies like nike and walmart use children to make their products and they pay no more that 22 cents an hour when their companies make billion dollar profits even taking into consideration cost of living in countries like Vietnam and Indonesia? 

Why i want to approach this problem? Because i think that it is not fair that innocent kids who do not deserve such life are being stuck on the hazardous factories for the wage which is even unlikely to call wage. I feel that we need to start from the roots and first of all save the children from exploitation first and then go for further problems. As Donnely said in the book only next generation would be in power to make our human rights protected, but we wont be able to make it if this new generation is growing up as literally slaves. I feel that it is unfair to pay at least 60$ for a pair of shoes and pay only 22 cents an hour for a worker who makes this shoes it is 0.036 % of the amount we pay. I believe that this has to be stopped even though business and market economy should definitely grow but sometimes people forget about humanity and become just money driven. There are so many solution to save money, but for some reason those factories choose to save on the labor.