I'm sorry but this article is completely overkill if the issue is 15 year olds working when the legal work age is 16 year olds in that country. Their job could be the difference between eating or not depending on their living situation. Is it sad that they are in this situation? Of course, but the current world system makes it impossible to do anything about it.
You realize that just about everything you buy from Wal Mart or Target is made in China by underage workers?
I agree. There is nothing wrong with working at a young age. I think children even at age 10 should be allowed to work if their parents needed them to work. If I need food for my family I would rather work all day, instead of playing with a tire and stick all day and not having anything to eat. Just because the notion of Western thought believes it is unethical for a child to work at a young age, doesn't take away from the true realities of living in poverty. Most Americans have never seen true poverty, since they have never traveled out of the USA. If they did, they would understand the benefits of child labour.
I don't see how it is sad. I see it as an uplifting story of global commerce. If these kids didn't work at an Apple Factory, where would they work? How would they eat?
Capitalism makes everyone better off! What people always fail to mention is that everyone in that specific economy is better off because labor will ultimately be pushed out to another economy outside the borders of the capitalist economy. Capitalism works for everyone assuming everyone is in the same situation with the same number of opportunities. Capitalism has to be merged with socialism, at least for the time being IMO.
Maybe if it would be a little more uplifting if most child labors had decent working conditions and just a bit more pay than the meager breadscraps they receive. But the reality is many of these kids work in piss poor conditions that would never pass a serious safety inspection and the profits being made on their work is astronomical compared to the pay they receive. Do I know a practical way to solve this without magically mindcontrolling every capitalist pig in the western world (sarcasm in case some people get angry)? Of course I don't.
Kinda amazing to look at your ipod (or anything from Walmart) and think some kid made it. Or some fish you ate came off the place 5,000 miles away. It's tough. The jobs we lost here are either going to a cheaper source of manual labor or to machines. Then again, I like cheap stuff. I also like hi tech toys. I don't know whether I'm living like a king or pricing myself into career oblivion.
Thread title is wrong The minimum working age in China is 16, same as in the US Apple obviously doesn't want be a part of child labor ring, and that's what the article is about. So what makes you say Apple+China = child labor, when neither actually endorses child labor?
When you are living like this, I don't think following OSHA regulations at his work matter alot to this kid.
China should continue it's one child policy for the next 100 years, decrease competition over natural and economic resources among its population and will result in less need for the dilution of personal sacrifice such as cheap labor.
two things here - 1. On the subject specifically of Apple and child labor, the article goes into some detail about the fact that the only reason that we're hearing about this is that Apple pays firms to go look at labor conditions and in these factories and then forces them to change these policies. Other companies just turn a blind eye and ignore it. So as much as it might be bad publicity for Apple, it's theoretically a good thing they are doing. 2. As far as child labor / unsafe working conditions / exploitation / etc in general, it sucks but I also think it's a necessary part of the transition from 3rd to 1st world countries. Can anyone name an industrialized country that didn't go through this process? Our history includes slavery, plenty of unsafe work conditions, children working in factories, etc. It seems to be an unfortunate part of building an economy. Once the economy is built and all the workers are employed, there can then be a fight to improve working conditions.
The report describes, "Apple discovered three facilities that had previously hired 15-year-old workers in countries where the minimum age for employment is 16. Across the three facilities, our auditors found records of 11 workers who had been hired prior to reaching the legal age, although the workers were no longer underage or no longer in active employment at the time of our audit. One facility attempted to conceal evidence of historical cases of underage labor. Two other facilities presented falsified records that concealed evidence of violations of Apple's Code regarding working hours and days of rest." So it's ok to not go to school and work long hours when you are 16, but at the age of 15.....HELL NO
