CHILD LABOR : EMPLOYERS' IMPERATIVE PERCEPTION

MAJYD AZIZ

Member Managing Committee : EMPLOYERS' FEDERATION OF PAKISTAN

Former Chairman : SITE ASSOCIATION OF INDUSTRY

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Child Labor is a manifold issue that has brought into focus society's structural and traditional foundations that are firmly established in the cultural, social, and economic environments. The very concept of a child toiling, whether by force or by choice, is a morbid blotch on the fabric of humanity. The working child is deprived of the opportunities to develop intellectually, is susceptible to physical distress, and is an animated victim of the absurdities of economic exploitation.

There is, therefore, a vociferous and highly charged campaign on the international front to curb this blatant human rights violation, to propose measures and steps to eliminate this scourge, and to devise pragmatic policies to outlaw this infringement from the world scene. It is with these in mind that many international forums and conventions have brought into the forefront the cause of continued use and abuse of children in economic activities in many countries, especially the developing nations, where cases of child labor are more extensive. The advent of globalization and liberalization of trade has also brought the issue of child labor into the limelight. The competitive nature of the new trade regime has fuelled calls for a "social clause" in trade agreements. A very important part of this "social clause" is the issue of child labor. Of course, at this moment of time, the imposition of barriers by implementing the "social clause" has led to the issue becoming a bone of contention in many international trade negotiations. There are routine threats of trade and economic boycott and sanctions by developed countries. However, these tactics are considered negative, provocative, and protectionist, by the developing Third World countries.

Pakistan is also one such country that has been on the receiving end of negative propaganda and hostile publicity regarding the use of child labor. The barrage of misconceptions and misleading information about the so-called proliferation of child labor began with a vigorous vengeance in 1993 around the time Senator Tom Harkin, alongwith Representative George Brown, introduced the Child Labor Deterrence Act in Congress. Although the Bill has yet to see the light of the day, the fact of the matter is that this Bill, nevertheless, provided the impetus to various groups and lobbies to focus forcefully and actively on the volatile issue of child labor.

The carpet industry became the first victim of this campaign. The influx of NGOs and other socially active organizations into this campaign further intensified the issue. The gruesome murder of a child activist, Iqbal Masih, brought international condemnation to the domestic carpet industry. A Canadian schoolboy, Craig Kielburger, became very active in the Free the Children movement and took up the case of Iqbal Masih as a personal crusade. The "School for Iqbal" idea was formulated in which students and classes were encouraged to donate a symbolic $12 each, which was the amount that Iqbal was supposedly sold for at the age of four. The money was to be used to "free" and educate 200 of the poorest of the poor children in Pakistan. Exports of carpets nose-dived drastically, and the nation lost much-needed foreign exchange due to the concerted salvo of negative publicity.

The concentration of the activists then centered on the issue of soccer balls. Graphic footage of young boys and girls sewing soccer balls were vividly telecast on international television, and pretty soon, the "FoulBall" Campaign picked up momentum in the United States. This campaign changed the way Americans looked at soccer, which incidentally is the country's fastest growing sport. The "No Child Labor in Sporting Goods" focussed attention on soccer balls. The consensus was that the American kids should not kick soccer balls made by children who ought to be in school. However, the soccer manufacturers based in the city of Sialkot responded positively, and in a move to counter the allegations and the ensuing vilification, signed a historical Partner's Agreement in Geneva on February 14, 1997. This agreement between ILO, UNICEF, and the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will result in Pakistany soccer balls being publicly acclaimed as child labor free. This agreement envisages a transparent prevention, protection, and monitoring program intended to bring about a smooth transition towards a total elimination of children from the workforce of soccer ball producers.

The Pakistany employers have to answer two very pertinent questions; do they want to be global players and are they keen to improve the nation's export figures? They should understand that in the evolving world economy, it is going to be an uphill battle for attaining an advantageous position. The country will not be able to bear the stigma of child labor exploitation both in the formal as well as in the unorganized sector. The Pakistany employers have generally been lethargic or non-chalant in their attitude towards adapting voluntary measures. From implementing ISO 9000 standards to registration under General Sales Tax, or refraining from hiring child labor, the Pakistany employers generally adopt a myopic approach. They consider governmental warnings meaningless and ineffective. The threats by the importing countries to enforce economic sanctions and tariff barriers do not make headway with most of the Pakistany employers. Unfortunately, it won't be long before these countries get tough and insist on extra remedial measures, such as labeling, inspection, monitoring, certification, and guarantees, to ensure that the products are child labor free.

The fear is that this will result in a panic situation where the employers will jettison their child workers. This happened in Bangladesh, where a large number of child labor were unceremoniously ousted when the apparel industry was threatened with cessation of export orders. A severe sense of paranoia developed among the garment manufacturers to such an extent that a case related to this writer by an UNICEF representative based in Dhaka amply illustrates the point. A girl had come to meet her aunt who was a seamstress in an apparel unit. The person who owned the factory got so agitated that she would not let the girl even sit in the gate office lest someone from the Labor Department might raid and penalize the owner.

The Labor officials in Pakistan very infrequently raid the local industries to check child labor. There are very rare reports of these raids in the news media, thus giving credence to the notion that the labor departments are not interested in enforcing the law. At the same time, this is testimony to the fact that the employers are not unnecessarily harassed. Of course, if a three-member committee representing the labor department, the concerned trade association, and a member of a human rights organization, conducts raids to check child labor violations, then the process will be more effectual, meaningful, and purposeful.

The various employers' associations and organizations must form a joint caucus to set up an educational and financial assistance program that would transfer the child from the workplace and into a school. At the same time, the child's family would be compensated by a stipend in the form of cash or kind depending upon the situation. This will enable the employers to hire an adult worker so that optimal efficiency in production is ensured. At the same time, it will take care of the employers' social responsibility by providing educational opportunities to the youth, by developing the concept of physical improvement, and by alleviating to some extent the poverty disparity. Moreover, it will protect the child from being sexually exploited, or even lured towards a life of crime.

The employers should place maximum emphasis on education because the successive governments have criminally neglected this sector. They could finance the activities of concerned organizations that run educational institutions, such as The Citizens Foundation. TCF estimates that in order to achieve the target of 70% literacy rate, there is an immediate need for 106,000 schools. Each model school will cost Rs 2.2 million and will have 180 students, while it would cost Rs 4800 per student per year. What it boils down to, is that an initial outlay of Rs three million for the first year and a recurring annual cost of less then a million rupees will guarantee the educational development of 180 children. Furthermore, the children could be provided with an equal amount of stipend per year to compensate the loss of wages.

The developed countries and the international lending agencies who clamor for the elimination of child labor, should set in motion a process to write off atleast ten percent of their loan portfolio to help and assist the Third World countries to channelize these funds towards the education of child workers. Pakistan has a US$ 40 billion external debt; a write-off of 10% will yield US$ 4 billion that could be used to develop the education system in the country. The foreign lenders could take the initiative and surrender their claims by about 10%.

The employers also have to impress upon the higher echelons of the government to be serious about the issue of child labor. Last year, when the Employers' Federation of Pakistan planned to hold an International Conference on Child Labor, neither the President, nor the Prime Minister, nor the Senate Chairman, or the Speaker of the National Assembly, or even the Labor Minister, accepted the invitation to inaugurate the Conference. When the EFP was advised to get it inaugurated by the Federal Labor Secretary, the EFP reluctantly shelved the Conference, and its Managing Committee has put the project on a long-term hold.

This attitude of the hierarchy is a manifestation of the mindset of the top people in the country towards the problem of child labor. It is to the detriment of the country that the powers to be have always adopted a defensive posture towards any criticism or allegations about child labor in Pakistan. This has backfired dismally and the country's child labor scene is projected negatively in the world media. There has never been a sincere effort by the top hierarchy to counter the issue. It has always either been lukewarm or in a denial mode. A mild program on child labor produced for the weekly Pakistan Business Update was entirely censored by PTV, presumably on orders from above. At the same time, the legislators too have never seriously discussed and deliberated on child labor in the sacrosanct assembly halls.

The lesson for the employers is very simple. The ball is in their court since the importing countries are at a vantage position to dictate their terms regarding their perception of child labor. The world market can be unnecessarily lost if these countries unilaterally play hardball. These countries can and will be tough. Here, an excerpt from an article written by a Boston Globe reporter is presented as food for thought: "They live in poverty and neglect as they harvest our food, work in hundreds of dinghy factories stitching.....tags onto our clothes, assemble cheap jewelry in trailer homes and tenements, operate dangerous machines in restaurant kitchens and neighborhood stores. In town after town, they serve our fast food meals late at night, prepare our muffins and coffee early in the morning. Often they are scalded and burned, sliced up by food machines, exposed to pesticides in the field and choking fumes in the factory. They fall and fracture their backs, and break their arms and hands frequently, delivering and picking up things for us. Sometimes, they are left badly maimed or disfigured for life. Sometimes they are killed. Nearly all the time, they get tired, miss school, and are ignored." This account seems to be from a developing Third World country where poverty and illiteracy is rampant. On the contrary, this is a report of child labor in America. The reporter concludes with a statement that "America's children are among the nation's most widely exploited workers'" He calls this a "national shame." On the other hand, developing countries like Pakistan will have to eliminate child labor if they are to do business with the United States or Western European countries, who do not care to look into their own backyards.

Therefore, the onus lies with the Pakistany employer to take the initiative. A quote of wisdom can explain it all: "The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones."