Child Labor in Turkey

An article found on Today’s Zaman on November 2014 presents a problem that affirms unethical issues on various fronts. The article is titled 42 Turkish child workers killed in first nine months of 2014. According to this article, there have been a rising number of child employees who die in the course of their jobs. Moreover, the country registers close to 900,000 child employees working all over the country. Besides, the number of those soldiers who are aged between the ages of 6 and fourteen is close to thirty thousand. The concept of child labor seems to continue unchecked in the country. Along with this problem is the exploitation of these laborers in a bid to lower the cost of production.

Turkey seems to have the most exploitative occurrences of child labor. Children are most likely joining the labor force out of desperation. Taking advantage of such children can be defined as unethical by any standards. However, they would probably be using the concepts that are supported by Friedman (n.p,).  Friedman (n.p.) argues that the role of social responsibility is to lower cost. He further argues that companies only adopt those measures that reduce cost. In this case, the common practices of both exploiting child employees and using their labor would be admissibe. While these concepts had a place in the societies of the 1970s, when Friedman wrote his article, a majority of such practices no longer have a place in today’s practices. Today the society is of the opinion that children should use their time obtaining an education.

It is therefore obvious that the society prefers to ensure that children get an education rather than trying to exploit them for profit. Various governments and NGOs have pushed to ensure that organizations do not engage in child labor practices. It is therefore likely that such bodies have not been proactive enough in Turkey. More attention, therefore needs to be put into ensuring that the problem is eliminated or reduced.

Of course child labor has been studied in the past. The attention that it has gotten has however not been effective in eliminating the practice in some countries. A lot of firms have only reacted to pressure from the media and NGOs. It is, therefore, probable that these are the people who have been inactive in this regard. The pressure in this regard could be mounted by advising consumers to use only those products that are manufactured by companies with a child labor free policy. Apple Inc. was, for example, pressured in this manner to ensure that child labor was eliminated in its supply chain without compromising on quality. Child labor practices can be controlled by mounting pressure from various product consumers as well as the media. First, manufacturers can be informed about the unethical paractices in their supply chains and be advised to only obtain raw materials from those suppliers who avoid child labor. This would of course be an effective method, especially if the manufacturing company is a multinational corporation. Big organizations care more about their reputations and are likely to react more promptly to such pressure to avoid losses.

It is common practice to find child labor in the lower levels of the supply chain. They are therefore likely to be found in farms harvesting. In Turkey, most of these children are found in the Agricultural and the construction sectors. This is because little or no skills are needed in these sectors. Child labor is often obtained at a significantly lower cost. For this reason, it is easily accommodated in these sectors. Child laborers are also easier to exploit. Organizations find it easier to work with children can be exploited without fear of rebellion. These children are uninformed about their rights and they will work for longer periods if that is required of them.

According to the article, certain factors contribute to child labor. First, there is poverty. Poor children are more likely to be required by the families to participate in labor so as to help provide for their families. In such case, the problem could as well be attributed to the parents’ inability to raise their children. Children have a right to be raised up rather than having to work in order to provide for their families. If the parents of these children are offered better opportunities throughout the country, then child labor would be minimized.

Another reason for child labor is the poor education system in Turkey. A new education system has been adopted and has contributed to the rise of child labor in the long run. First, this system of education ensures that children have longer holidays as well as join school when they are older. This creates a lot of time to engage in the labor system without any need to disrupt their education measurably.

Child labor as noted earlier has multiple ways of being unethical. It is not allowable for anyone to participate in unethical practices in their businesses. Involvement in any way in child labor is unethical. Parents are unethical if they require their children to provide for them. Parents are supposed not only to provide for their children, but also to ensure that their children obtain a basic level of education. Child labor shows laxity in both of these areas.

Governments also require protecting children from being exploited by both parents and organizations. When they fail to do this, it may be motivated by unethical reasons. Unethical reasons may, for example, be the root of this issue. It may be that government officials are kept away from such firms by the use of bribes. In that case, ethics are largely violated. It is unacceptable and immoral for anyone to benefit for not taking action against those who exploit children.

Another area that needs to be looked at is the organizations themselves. As noted earlier, dealing with corporations both directly and indirectly has been the most effective method. Big corporations have opted to use clear methods of avoiding child labor. They should be intimidated by both government officials and NGOs to ensure they keep off from such activities. The media can also participate in creating awareness of the numerous ways that various shareholders can end child labor. The media has been very effective at naming and shaming organizations that contribute to child labor practices. If this is done, some customers may be lost and this will cause organizations to adopt more ethical methods.

As noted by Smith, Heilbroner and Malone (66), any form of gain obtained when another individual is suffering could be regarded as unethical. In this case, a variety of individuals gain from the pain and exploitation undergone by children. As these children suffer, the organizations continue to benefit from them. This is therefore unethical behavior.

There is a dilemma on what the best action should be. In many cases, children are often faced with poverty in their families. One would argue that failure to give them a place in the organizations would often lead to them being in even worse situations. Their participation in the labor system eases the financial burden in the family. On the other hand, the international community is in agreement that child labor is unacceptable. Given the deaths that come from child labor and the deprivation of a good future due to lack of education, it is not acceptable to allow child labor. Child labor should be rejected the world over in one voice. The policies governing this area are insufficient and are often not followed through. This has caused the failure in the battle against child labor.

In conclusion, a lot of organizations in Turkey have been found to be engaged in child labor. Almost one million children have been found to participate in child labor. To make matters worse, the number of children is rising. Furthermore, the area of child labor is not even safe to the children. Numerous children have died from child labor. Even worse, the number of deaths continues to rise year after year. Child labor is preferred by organizations since it is cheaper and the children are easier to exploit. Exploitation of children who have no idea of their rights is unethical. Any justifications are unacceptable, especially with the rise in the number of deaths. Every stakeholder should try and fight off child labor to see if the problem is resolved. Various methods such as pressuring the organizations and creating better policies can be employed.

Works Cited

Friedman, Milton. The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits. New York Times. 1970

Today’s Zaman, 42 Turkish child workers killed in first nine months of 2014. 2014. Available at: http://www.todayszaman.com/business_42-turkish-child-workers-killed-in-first-nine-months-of-2014_364895.html

Smith, Adam, Robert L Heilbroner, and Laurence J Malone. The Essential Adam Smith. New York: W.W. Norton, 1987. Print.