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Jenna Royal

Mr. Phillips

English 3 Honors

8 May 2017

Child Labor in Southeast Asia:

Effects on Children

When purchasing clothing, food, drinks, etc., no one ever thinks about where it's really

coming from. Most people would never imagine the items being bought were being made by

child laborers in regions like Southeast Asia. In today's society, child labor has become one of the

most overlooked problems in the world. Because of the lack of education, children are unable to

attain good jobs as adults. There are many examples of child labor, even extending to child

prostitution. The unhealthy work conditions the children are exposed to lead to many diseases

and even death. Child Labor denies children basic education, normal social interaction, personal

development, and emotional support from their families. This creates a large problem for

children in Southeast Asia because of the large amount of poverty they live in. If nothing is

done about child labour, the child labourers become young people with poor employment

prospects who cannot lift their own families out of the poverty trap (IPEC). From the

deprivation of education, the inappropriate acts against child laborers, and the unhealthy places

of labor and work conditions, government regulation of child labor should be strengthened with

stricter restrictions and punishments in Southeast Asia.

For the children of Southeast Asia, work is a way of life. They are forced out of school in

order to keep their families from living in even more atrocious conditions, such as living in the

streets. Because of the high poverty rates, children drop out of school as young as 12, and then

are coerced into working to help their families for financial need (Herriot). While some children

are in school, others who are forced into child labor miss out on opportunities for a brighter

future. Daniel Pye explains in one example of child labor where children leave their homes to

work in the rows of Palm oil trees, barely making ends meet. Workers rights are infringed upon

by enforcers of labor, abusing the children physically and emotionally (Pye). In Indonesia the

children are making $1.50 a day on the Palm oil plantations, while the minimum wage is $6.10

(Mosbergen). This instance is one of many where a child is compelled to work to help their

families, but in reality a child should be in school in order to have the opportunity to live a

fulfilling adulthood.

In Southeast Asia, the conditions many child laborers work in are treacherous. No matter

where a child is working, whether it be in a factory, on a farm, or inside a home, there are many

dangers they can be faced with. In 2015, The Blue Dragon Children's Foundation raided a

factory in Vietnam and found 14 children working, sleeping, and eating in a small room with

machines (Brown). Conditions like those are not only dangerous, but deadly. According to the

International Labor Company, an estimated 6 million work-related injuries occur among

children annually, which results in 2.5 million disabilities and 32,000 fatalities every year. A

large industry that not only causes injuries, but nausea, heat stroke and disease is the Tobacco

industry. Ayu, a 13 year old from Indonesia shared her experience on a tobacco farm, she states

I was throwing up when I was so tired from harvesting and carrying the tobacco leaves. My

stomach is like, I can't explain, it's stinky in my mouth. I threw up so many times my dad
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carried me home. It happened when we were harvesting. It was so hot, and I was so tired The

smell is not good when were harvesting. Im always throwing up every time Im harvesting.

The work Ayu was doing would be considered one of the worst forms of labor because it

exposed her to physical and emotional harm. In Indonesia alone, more than 1.5 million children

10-17 work in agriculture, working 14-18 hours a day (Worth). The number of working children

in Southeast Asia is by far the largest in the world and represents 18.8% of the 650 million 5-14

year olds in the region (ILO Global Report). These conditions are not only abhorrent, but

unethical, and these conditions need to be brought to the attention of the government.

Because the conditions in Southeast Asia are so atrocious, some parents will resort into

sending their children into sex labor just to make a few extra bucks. Often, out of desperation,

parents give their children to recruiters who promise a job in the city, then the children are

forced into sex trade (Herriot). Children as young as 10 are forced into sex labor and can have up

to 30 clients a week. Laura Marquez states in her news report Southeast Asia a Haven for

Pedifiles that The Europeans and Americans who go to Southeast Asia as "sex tourists" often

rationalize having sex with children with the idea that "they are helping the children financially

better themselves and their families. The thought that people try to justify an action like rape is

disgusting. The children often suffer from various STDs and other disorders such as PTSD. The

number of child sex slaves in Southeast Asia continues to grow today, and the longer nobody

does anything about it, the more it will happen.

Many companies argue that child labor is humane and that they are not doing anything

wrong by using children as workers. This is completely untrue, because not only does it harm

their mental development, but social development also. Companies like Nike and PepsiCo. come
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to mind when it comes to major companies using child laborers in Southeast Asia. Large

companies find it convenient to use children as workers because they do not have to pay them as

much, and it allows the company to obtain more money. Nike used children and women in

Indonesia as workers and abused them for over 7 years (Lutz). Indonesian Nike workers were

making as little as 14 cents an hour, which could not even buy a whole meal (Lutz). Maria

Hengeveld interviewed Nike factory workers and found evidence that proved Nikes contract for

its factories neglect basic tenets of freedom from abuse, harassment, and nonconsensual overtime

(Hengeveld). What Hengeveld found out during her interview proved that although there are

rules, they are lightly being enforced if at all. Like Nike, PepsiCo. also uses child laborers in

Southeast Asia, mainly in Indonesia. In a recent research done by OOPUK, they found that

PepsiCo. was turning a blind eye to child labor, and they found that children as young as 13 were

harvesting on their plantations. These companies take the easy way out by applying laws in

Southeast Asia that are slightly, or not at all enforced, and use small children to their financial

benefit.

Child labor affects the children of Southeast Asia's mental, physical, and emotional

development and even plays a big role in their health. Poverty is the first thing that needs to be

overcame in order to put a stop to Child Labor. Once poverty rates are lower, more children will

be able to attend school and evidently have a better future. This is because there wont be as

much of a financial need for the children to work. The effects of child labor take over a large part

of these children's lives and it is very important it comes to an end. Most Acts and laws made to

try and solve the problem of child labor are often overlooked, not enforced or taken away. For

example, in 1993, congress passed the child labor deterrence act which would have outlawed the

importation of goods by child laborers, but it backfired when the children began getting fired and
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ended up in sex work and street prostitution (Pelham). It is important the government works

harder to better enforce these laws and punish those who do not follow them. The government

also needs to have a better watch over what goes on in places like Southeast Asia.

Child Labor impacts the lives of millions of children in Southeast Asia everyday.

Whether they are farmers, sex slaves, machine workers, or anything else, their childhood now

influences the rest of their lives. If these children are unable to get a good education and better

themselves, they will be living a life in poverty forever. If children are working, they should not

be making less than minimum wage. Because the rules and laws in Southeast Asia are not

enforced, the conditions the children face day to day are overlooked. Child labor is a harsh, and

unethical system. Southeast Asia's government must enforce stricter laws in order to overcome

their vicious cycle of Child Labor.

Works Cited

Mosbergen, Dominique. "Palm Oil Linked To Child Labor -- Again." The Huffington Post.

[Link], 09 June 2016. Web. 05 May 2017.

"2015 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor - Asia & the Pacific." United States
Department of Labor. N.p., 30 Sept. 2016. Web. 05 May 2017.

"Unite For Sight." Child Labor and Child Abuse in Developing Countries. N.p., n.d. Web.
05 May 2017.

"Indonesia: Child Tobacco Workers Suffer as Firms Profit." Human Rights Watch. N.p.,
01 Feb. 2017. Web. 05 May 2017.

"ILO." Child Labour in Asia: The Story of Thao. N.p., 04 May 2016. Web. 05 May 2017.

Lutz, Ashley. "How Nike Shed Its Sweatshop Image to Dominate the Shoe Industry."
Business Insider. Business Insider, 06 June 2016. Web. 05 May 2017.
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Hengeveld, Maria. "Nike Wants to Empower Young Women. Why Do the Ones in Its
Factories Say Theyre Treated So Badly?" Slate Magazine. N.p., 26 Aug. 2016. Web.
05 May 2017.

Pye, Daniel. "PepsiCo Products in Indonesia Tainted with Worker Abuses, Report
Finds." Conservation News. Article Published by Philip Jacobson on 2016-06-23., 23
June 2016. Web. 05 May 2017.

""The Harvest Is in My Blood"." Human Rights Watch. N.p., 24 May 2016. Web. 05
May 2017.