Ahead of Olympics, China faces charges of child labor
The negative publicity comes at a sensitive moment for Beijing as it seeks to burnish its international image.
from the June 13, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
A 2006 study from the International Labor Organization (ILO) said that overall, child labor has been reduced by 11 percent in the past four years worldwide.
Despite the recent studies, conclusive figures aren't available in China, so no true comparison is possible. The Chinese government considers the topic too sensitive to allow international groups to conduct widespread national investigations of how many under-age workers appear in the labor force.
With the problem not yet quantified, labor-rights groups are relying on bits and pieces of information they can gather by interviewing factory workers, families, and school authorities. The anecdotal evidence shows increasing pockets of child labor, especially in the poorest areas and in factories that operate as subcontractors to major producers.
"We haven't done a national study, but the assumption is that this is a national problem and therefore deserving of attention from the national government," says Robin Munro, research director of China Labour Bulletin.
Some officials doubt reports
Even with the new charges regarding Chinese child labor infractions, some officials doubt the credibility of the China Labour Bulletin report. Constance Thomas, director of the ILO for China and Mongolia, says that without a thorough, conclusive study of the national scope of the problem, no one knows for sure what's happening. Ms. Thomas has been trying to convince the Chinese government to undertake a major prevention campaign, but the mere mention of child labor has been too sensitive.
Thomas says she doesn't see a widespread problem, especially when comparing China with countries like Pakistan and India where children age 8 and 9 are routinely found working. China's doing pretty well, she maintains.
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