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center23002457459410012100center818008745855Thy Doan
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S4594592center700007484110H&M Factories in Myanmar Employed 14-year-old Workers.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/21/hm-factories-myanmar-employed-14-year-old-workers
9410010000H&M Factories in Myanmar Employed 14-year-old Workers.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/21/hm-factories-myanmar-employed-14-year-old-workers
center300003207385Assessment 3Critical Analysis
9410036300Assessment 3Critical Analysis
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This critical analysis will discuss the moral and ethical stance in relation to H&M and their use of child labour in Myanmars supplying factories. It will follow the perspective of corporate social responsibility as well as all the stakeholders involved with the company. This critical analysis will draw on two theoretical approaches to determine the morality of the issue: utilitarian and Kants ethics. Laws that govern child labour will also be discussed in the following analysis. This critical analysis will also outline what governments of developing countries where child labour is occurring can do to address and help reduce child labour.
A lawsuit has been filed against Swedish retail giant H&M following claims of child labour occurring in their supplying factories in Myanmar. Children as young as 14 years of age are said to be employed and working longs days which could reach over 12 hours a day. H&M responded to these revelations by stating it is important to them that their products are made in safe and good working conditions and they are taking action by having workers provide ID cards. I believe that the use of child labour to produce goods is immoral and is an unethical practice which should not be adopted by companies. However, there are many opposing theories to determine the morality of this issue.
Child labour can be defined as the employment in businesses or industries of children where conditions are considered illegal and/or exploitative (UNICEF 2021). It is a moral issue that has plagued society, concerning the welfare of children since the earliest of times. While some may see child labour as greatly immoral and unethical, others claim that child labour is morally acceptable, especially those of impoverished families. The utilitarian concept follows a consequentialist theory which focuses on maximising good for the greatest amount of people. The theory suggests that an action is right if it tends to promote happiness or pleasure and it is deemed wrong if it tends to produce pain or unhappiness (Shaw, Barry & Issa 2016). Following this theory, utilitarian ethics believes that child labour is morally acceptable. Sending children to work to gain extra income can maximise a childs happiness knowing they are contributing to keeping their family supported and intact. It may also bring peace of mind to the parents of the child knowing that the certain job they are undertaking is saving them from far worse jobs and street crime which could involve things such as distribution of narcotics and prostitution. Utilitarianism may also believe that apart from families benefiting from extra income, consumers and companies can also benefit from the use of child labour. While consumers have the chance to score inexpensive goods from their retailer, companies are able to capitalise on profits by cutting costs and outsourcing their labour.
While the utilitarian theory agrees that child labour can be ethical and morally justified, there are many who indefinitely oppose the idea of child labour. A persons childhood is considered to be the most vital and powerful part in shaping who they become in their lifetime. Thus, the effects of child labour can be seen as quite detrimental to their mental and physical development and more importantly, their health (Aruga 1986). In addition to the decline in their wellbeing, a childs involvement in child labour deprives children of a childhood and also hinders their education. While toiling away in factories for long hours every day, the opportunity to extend their knowledge through proper schooling diminishes. A statistical study was done in Pakistan and Nicaragua to explore the effects that child labour had on a childs education and it was found that even completing a few hours of work would negatively affect school outcomes and would increase the chances of failing at school and ultimately, having to repeat grades (Sakurai 2006).
While having discussed the views of utilitarianism earlier, the opposing theory from utilitarian ethics is Kants categorical imperative theory. Kants ethics follows a deontological approach whereby actions are classified right or wrong regardless of the good or bad consequences it may produce. Deontologists believe that people have a duty to do the right thing and that moral rules should be universally applied. Kants ethics also believe that each human being has inherent worth who should be able to possess basic human rights and should not be viewed as a means to an end (Ramet 2019). Looking through the lens of Kantian ethics, child labour is deemed to be immoral because it violates the fundamental rights of a child and has shown to not only hinder a childs education but also their development which may ultimately lead to permanent physical and psychological damage. The children who were discovered working for long hours in H&Ms supplying factories may incur injuries due to lack of protective gear, suffer back strains, stunted growth and possible mutilations from unguarded machinery. Kantian ethics may argue that children should not be used as an economic object which will only benefit companies by cheap labour and higher profits. Child labour is also unlikely to become a universal law that is accepted by the majority of society therefore, child labour, through Kants ethics is viewed as immoral and unethical.
There are many laws and regulations that govern child labour internationally and for H&Ms case, in Myanmar. The International Labour Organizations Minimum Age Convention 1973 has suggested that the general minimum age to complete light work is 15 years of age (International Labour Organization 2021a). The minimum for more strenuous and hazardous work is 18 years of age. In Myanmar, it is reported that 1.1 million children aged between 5 to 17 years of age are engaged in child labour. It is also reported that 1 in every 11 children are deprived of their childhood, health and education with many of which suffering from hazardous working conditions (International Labour Organization 2021b). While school is mandatory for children until the age of 14, children may be able to help families with light work that is not exploitative if they wish, following the completion of school. The most serious problem Myanmar has with child labour is the long hours child labourers work which is also the concern in H&Ms case. Through its involvement with long hours, it is considered a strenuous and hazardous environment to children and therefore deemed unethical.
Governments of developing countries like Myanmar can do many things to address and possibly reduce child labour. Governments can create and enforce laws that set work standards such as increasing the minimum age before individuals may start work while enforcing laws that protect children by making education compulsory World Vision 2021). Another scheme that governments could engage in to address poverty levels is to provide free education or provide families with adequate subsidies, so their living conditions dont push children into labour. Ensuring families have access to government funds is important as a study that has been conducted showed that there was a positive correlation between limited household income and child labour and the rate of school dropout (Sakurai 2006b). While companies have an obligation to ensure that child labour isnt occurring within their supply chain. it is also up to governments to enforce proper laws in their countries to ensure that the children of their nation are not suffering.
This critical analysis discussed the moral and ethical stance regarding H&Ms involvement with child labour providing benefits from the utilitarian ethics and opposing arguments from a Kantian ethics were considered. Though some benefits may be gained through child labourers, I still strongly believe that child labour is immoral, wrong and unethical. The happiness that the many stakeholders gain from child labour should not be used as a justification for its continuity. A child should be given the opportunity to live out their childhood with the rights to proper education. The laws and regulations that fight against child labour have yet a long way to go however, are making improvements, even in countries like Myanmar. Government intervention to address and possibly reduce rates of child labour is also increasingly important to help regulate the laws in place.
References
Aruga, N, 1986, White Child Slavery: Anti-Child Labor Arguments in Late Nineteenth-Century America, The America Review, no. 20, pp 141.
International Labour Organization 2021a, International Labour Standards on Child Labour, International Labour Organization, viewed on 19 June 2021,
< https://www.ilo.org/global/standards/subjects-covered-by-international-labour-standards/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm>.
International Labour Organization 2021b, Child Labour in Myanmar, International Labour Organization, viewed on 19th June 2021,
< https://www.ilo.org/yangon/areas/childlabour/lang--en/index.htm>.
Ramet, S, 2019, Kant on Ethics and Politics, Eastern Review, no. 8, pp 183-199.
Sakurai, R, 2006a, Child Labour and Education, Education for All Global Monitoring Report, pp 25.
Sakurai, R, 2006b, Child Labour and Education, Education for All Global Monitoring Report, pp 26.
Shaw, W, Barry, V, Issa, T, 2016, Moral Issues in Business, Cengage, no. 3.
UNICEF 2021, Child Labour, UNICEF, viewed on 19 June 2021,
< https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-labour>.
