Impacts of Globalization on child labor in Pakistan

Imran Naseem

Assistant Professor, Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Abbotabad.

E-mail: dr.imrannaseem@gmail.com, imrannaseempk@hotmail.com; Phone: 0333 521 6334, 0092 333 521 6334

Accepted 23 May, 2012

The article outlines finding of the research titled ‘Globalization and Its Impacts on Child Labor: Pakistan as Case Study”. The research objective of this study was to test the hypothesis: Globalization has left adverse impacts on child labor in developing countries.  The myth that child labor is indispensable for developing countries to remain competitive in the international markets is unfounded. The hypothesis that globalization can help reduce child labor in developing countries is also supported by researches. The literature on child labor is huge and in great disorder. Media propagation has been a vital factor in bringing the child labor to the priority agenda. It has galvanized international and national organizations into action to rehabilitate working children and prevent further growth of child labor. Successful efforts also need to be targeted against all kinds of wide spread child labor in the country. Furthermore, any legislation should not only ban the employment of child labor but it should cover other aspects of the child welfare as well. Economy bound measures are the better option against child labor. Although evidence from South Asia gives glimpses of success that trade sanctions helped reduce child labor from specific sectors as per se, however, such approaches failed to address the root causes of the child labor and at times further added to the miseries of the child labor. Children also fall victims to child labor as a result of improper education facilities. Should an outright ban on child labor be imposed? Furthermore, this fall of family income added additional pressure on children to work. Our efforts and strategies to fight against child labor still need fine tuning.Surely living in a world which is free from worst forms of child labor will be a much important milestone in the over all goal of eliminating all kinds of child labor. Bringing menace of child labor to limelight is appreciable but curbing this menace still needs a strong global effort. To materialize the idealism of child labor free world, we still have a long journey to travel. The fact that increase in per capita income brings decline in child labor presents an argument that economic development, improving labor standards,  and the consequent elimination of child labor could be achieved through facilitation in free trade and open markets.

Keywords: Globalization, child labour and Pakistan