2: Problem Causes

Immediate Causes

There are many causes to the use of child labor in the fashion supply chain. Some of the forces driving children into child labor can be immediate, and due to circumstances that are impacting their lives in the moment.

Child Labor within the Fashion Supply Chain: Unpacking Legal Realities

In instances where labor laws are either weak or inadequately enforced, and legal protection for children is lacking, the conditions become met for the occurrence of child labor, notably within industries like the fashion supply chain. The absence of strict regulations and effective enforcement creates an environment where exploitative practices can continue without accountability. This not only jeopardizes the well-being of young workers but also extends a cycle of vulnerability and exploitation.

Countries with weak labor laws can lower the minimum age requirement allowing sweatshops to hire children from the ages 5 to 11 years. Because they are so young they can be manipulated and pressured by these shops to work extreme hours because of the country's inadequate enforcement for not regulating these working hours.

Sources: Piccone, T., Sachs, N., Norman Eisen, J. K., Hass, R., & Norman Eisen, F. D. (2022, October 31). The Compounding Rule of Law Crisis. Brookings. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-compounding-rule-of-law-crisis/#:~:text=Bad%20governance%20and%20corruption%20become,worst%20rule%20of%20law%20performers.

Edmonds, E. V., & Theoharides, C. (2020). Child Labor and Economic Development. In Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics. Dartmouth College*; Amherst College.

Affordable Education

There is a large financial burden associatd with education in these third world countries. The expense of education is a significant issue in many of these impoverished households. Things like uniforms, quality schools, and fees all play into the expense of an education. In many of these impoverishes countries, children are forced to chose between education or work. Countries that experience the highest labor within the fashion supply chain Including Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, there is about 13 million children dropping out of school with that number rising. Parents always choose to send their children to work instead f school due to the high cost of education, when they are struggling for money all together.

Many times children who are not provided with an education are stuck in a "poverty trap". This is a vicious cycle where children are not provided with the means to escape poverty, meaning them and their children will be stuck doing this type of labor. Education is something that helps children escape poverty, so without education, they are unable to help their situation.

Source: Gebreselassie, Luwam Amanuel (A.A. 2022/2023) Fighting child labor in fast fashion supply chains. Tesi di Laurea in Global trade, Luiss Guido Carli, relatore Piero Esposito, pp. 99. https://tesi.luiss.it/id/eprint/37506

Revealing Child Labor: Unfair Pay Practices

The exploitation of children is rooted in a practice where certain companies deliberately pay child workers wages below the established minimum standards. This strategy, driven by the economic motive of minimizing labor costs, not only violates the fundamental principles of fair compensation but also the vulnerability of children to exploitation. By offering substandard wages, these companies create a cycle: the affordability of child labor prompts an increase in young workers, subsequently enabling businesses to sustain a lower-cost labor force.

According to the Our World in Data graph, it illustrates the correlation between the number of children engaged in employment and the per capita GDP of various countries. Notably, Sierra Leone had the highest number of children in employment in 2016, aligning with one of the lowest per capita GDP figures. This highlights the challenging economic conditions and meager wages faced by these young workers.

Source: Ortiz-Ospina, E., & Roser, M. (2024, March 18). Child labor. Our World in Data. https://ourworldindata.org/child-labor

High Demand for Cheap Labor

This graph shows recent increase of cheap mass produced clothes on a national scale. Within the start of the fashion industry, consumers were mostly higher elite class. With the production of cheap clothes and the drastically lower prices, consumption for a more diverse class clientele has been higher than ever. This then leads to very high demand for labor due to the explosion of consumption.

Source: Cato.org. (n.d.). https://www.cato.org/publications/globalization-fashion#clothing-abundance-globalized-fashion-provide-myriad-benefits

Sweatshops of Bangledesh

Underlying Causes

Delving into the heart of the matter, this section uncovers the root causes behind child labor in the fashion supply chain, shedding light on the complex factors that contribute to this issue.

Poverty

Poverty is the greatest single force for driving children into the workplace. Income from their work is crucial for them and their families survival. Families strained by financial difficulties cannot cope with children's needs and that is why children look for their own sources of income.

It is known that children from larger familes are more likely to work than children from smaller families. Many times these children need to work in order to supplement their parents income. Larger families in third world countries are more likely to be in poverty because of the strain children place on a family economically.

Children that are in poverty are exploited by companies to make more profit in order to gain advantage over their competitors. These children who are desperate for money are taken in by companies to work for next to nothing, and forced to work long hours just to make enough money to help their family.

Source: Internal Labour Organization . (2011, July 13). Causes.

Cultural Norms & Traditions

Various cultural norms can provide a large impact on normalization of child labor within societies. Various cultural norms can provide a large impact on normalization of child labor within given societies. Some cultures, It Is normalized for the children to work within a family owned business Instead of education. This can be seen as what some would say Is child labor. It also puts economic stress on the children at a young age. This also goes hand In hand with cultures In low poverty where the opportunity of education or other employment Is limited or nonexistent.

Some cultures emphasize child labor as an essential part of a child's development. These cultures believe that child labor results In Important skill development, paying no attention of the violation of human rights.

There are also instances within cultures where children are expected to pay off family debts. These Instances and more create a cultural normality of children being providers rather than developing children.

Challenges in Tracking How Fashion is Made

The fashion supply chain is an intricate web of interconnected processes and stakeholders, making it challenging for companies to effectively monitor every step of production. From sourcing raw materials to manufacturing, distribution, and retail, each stage involves numerous people, locations, and variables. This complexity not only presents logistical hurdles for companies but also creates a barrier for big brands and consumers seeking transparency in understanding how garments are made. This results in exploitation as not every process such as the environment and legal rights of sweatshops is better well monitored.

This graph from the CATO Institute shows that the making of clothes in the United States has been decreasing. This means that big fashion companies don't know as much about how their products are being made. Most of the production happens in other countries, making it hard for these big companies to keep a close eye on what's happening behind the scenes. This proves how these sweatshops can get away with exploiting child labor as the monitoring from these corporations is overseas.

Source: Cato.org. (n.d.). https://www.cato.org/publications/globalization-fashion#clothing-abundance-globalized-fashion-provide-myriad-benefits

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