China has made huge strides in becoming one of the largest economic and cultural hubs of the world over the past several years. However, child labor is one of the biggest contributors and problems of the Chinese economy. The following are the top 10 facts about child labor in China.
Top 10 Facts About Child Labor in China
- Child labor is a growing concern. About 7.74 percent of children between the ages of 10-15 are laborers although the legal working age in China is 16.
- There is a positive correlation between child labor and school drop out rates. One study found that on average, a child who works 6.75 hours a day has 6.42 fewer hours to study. While about 90 percent of underage workers attend school, many of them will eventually drop out.
- China’s less developed regions have more prevalent rates of child labor. For example, the Northwest and Qinghai-Tibetan regions (which make up the Western part of the country) are the least developed and have the highest rates of child labor. While in the more advanced Eastern and Central regions it is less of a problem.
- China’s incredibly competitive economy makes companies take any opportunity they can to get a leg up over their competitors, even illegally. For instance, factors such as worker shortages, high inflation and a rising currency reduce profit margins, resulting in underage labor. The Chinese government has acknowledged that child labor is a problem that is at the heart of its export economy.
- The Chinese government is working to stop child labor. In 2008 authorities in China’s southern province of Guangdong (near Hong Kong) broke up a massive child labor ring. The resulting arrests broke up a child labor apparatus in one of China’s biggest manufacturing cities. As a result, more than 100 children were freed.
- Many of these children are from poor families and are often between the ages of 13 through 15. Employment agencies will either trick or kidnap them and send them to work in any part of the country for up to 300 hours a month.
- China has signed many laws into effect to prevent child labor. These include international treaties like the U.N.’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the International Labor Organization’s Minimum Age Convention. The Chinese government is also trying to solve the problem at a national level. For example, regulations and provisions aiming at child labor include the Chinese Labour Law, the Law on the Protection of Women’s Rights and Interests, the Law on the Protection of Minors, Regulations on the Prohibition of Child Labour and the Notice on the Prohibition of Child Labor.
- Quantities of migrant labor have caused increases in the exploitation of child labor in China. There is a very clear link between the lack of education for migrant workers and the rise of underage workers in urban areas.
- Child labor in China is minimal in comparison to other industrialized nations. China’s protective laws and heightened importance of education have helped reduce child labor. More families recognize the value of education, leading to adherence to labor law in more parts of the country.
- Several solutions to China’s labor problem have been proposed. These include new economic policies that would reduce poverty in rural areas. Empowering poor, rural families is critical to eliminating child labor. The formation of independent trade unions would give more power to the workers and protect their rights. As a result, reducing child labor. Finally, a greater effort by Chinese authorities is crucial. Child labor will continue to be a problem if enforcement of laws is not kept to.
– Henry Burkert
FAQs
10 Basic Facts about Child Labor Globally
- Worldwide 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment; 152 million are victims of child labour.
- Almost half of them, 73 million, work in hazardous child labour.
- Hazardous child labour is most prevalent among the 15-17 years old.
Child labor is not a negligible social phenomenon in China; about 7.74% of children aged from 10 to 15 were working in 2010, and they worked for 6.75 hours per day on average, and spent 6.42 hours less per day on study than other children.
What are the Chinese child Labour camps? ›
| Xinjiang internment camps |
|---|
| Operational | 2017–present |
| Number of inmates | Up to 1.8 million (2020 Zenz estimate) 1 million – 3 million over a period of several years (2019 Schriver estimate) Plus ~497,000 minors in special boarding schools (2017 government document estimate) |
6 more rowsEstimates show that over 50% of the workers in some British factories in the early 1800s were under the age of 14. In the United States, there were over 750,000 children under the age of 15 working in 1870. In the United States, a real effort to regulate and put an end to child labor began in the early 1900s.
What are 5 facts about child labor? ›
The Current State of Child Labor
- More than 200 million children today are child labourers. ...
- 73 million of these children are below 10 years old.
- The highest number of child laborers is in sub-Saharan Africa.
- The number of children in armed conflicts have risen to 300,000 over the past decade.
Do children work in factories in China? Yes, children work in factories in China. Legally, they are not allowed to work until they are 16 years old, but children younger than this do work. Approximately 7% of children in China between 10-15 years old work in the country.
Is child labor illegal in China? ›
Chinese law prohibits the use of child of labor under age 16 but stipulates that children may be employed under special circ*mstances, such as in sports or in the arts, or if their “occupational training” and “educational labor” does not adversely affect their personal health and safety.
Does China still allow child labor? ›
China does have legislation and regulations in place that govern many aspects of child labor; however, there is a lack of enforcement and implementation of these laws. Without frequent labor inspections, strict labor policy, and rigorous enforcement from local authorities, child labor unfortunately will continue.
What are the labor abuses in China? ›
The Chinese government has also subjected Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim communities to forced labor, both in detention centers and through labor transfer programs. Labor transfers relocate Uyghurs from their homes in rural areas to urban areas to work in factories.
Does China have labor laws? ›
Working hours
According to China's Labour Contract Law, employees should not work over eight hours each day or 40 hours per week, on average. After discussing with the trade unions, the employer is permitted to prolong working hours, but they are limited to one hour of overtime per day.
Some children have to operate unsafe machinery, equipment, and tools, or be required to lift heavy loads and be exposed to hazardous substances, agents, or processes, or to temperatures, noise levels, or vibrations that can cause serious damage to their health.
What is the minimum wage in China? ›
In 2024, the highest minimum hourly wages in China were to be found in Beijing and Tianjin municipalities with 26.4 and 24.4 yuan respectively, whereas employees in Ningxia autonomous region and Hainan province who received a minimum wage were paid the least – between 16 and 18 yuan per hour.
How long did child labor last? ›
From the Industrial Revolution through the 1930s was a period in which children worked in a wide variety of occupations. Now, nearly 110 years after the story of the chieftain was told, the overt presence of widespread child labor in New York or any other American city no longer exists.
How much did child laborers get paid? ›
Children in the mills usually worked eleven or twelve hour days, 5-6 days a week. Windows were usually kept closed because moisture and heat helped keep the cotton from breaking. Crushed and broken fingers were common in the coal mines. Most children working here were boys earning $0.50-$0.60 a day.
How did child labor start? ›
In the late 1700′s and early 1800′s, power-driven machines began to replace hand labor for the making of most manufactured items. Factories sprung everywhere, first in England and then in the United States. The owners of these factories found a new source of labor to run their machines — children.
What are three facts about child labor? ›
Fast facts: Child labor
- Nearly half of child laborers — 79 million children — were working under hazardous conditions in 2020.
- 1 in 3 children in child labor are out of school.
- Approximately 70% (112 million) of child laborers work in agriculture like farming and livestock herding.
Nearly one in 10 children is working as a child laborer in the global economy. Often forfeiting the chance to ever begin school, these children have the highest illiteracy rates in the world. Victims are five to 17 years of age, and nearly half of them, 79 million, are in hazardous work.
What are some facts about child labor in the past? ›
The 1870 census found that 1 out of every 8 children was employed. This rate increased to more than 1 in 5 children by 1900. Between 1890 and 1910, no less than 18 percent of all children ages 10‒15 worked.
China has made huge strides in becoming one of the largest economic and cultural hubs of the world over the past several years. However, child labor is one of the biggest contributors and problems of the Chinese economy. The following are the top 10 facts about child labor in China.