Blog 4

We're Done!!

I am finished collecting my data. There is not much left besides writing my paper and submitting the final to the College Board.

Through my data and research, I was somewhat able to disprove my hypothesis: "Eliminating child labor would negatively impact the post-Covid19 economy of Latin American countries."

My research focused on studying Gross Domestic Product trends from 2017 to 2020 (the peak of the pandemic). I wanted to see what were the causes of the decline or increase in GDP and if child labor rates had contributed to any of those changes. In this case, child labor was defined by the International Labor Organization, which says that child labor is "work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development." Which refers to anyone under the age of 18 who is involved in the workforce.

GDP per Capita ($)

Note. Data from The World Bank

GDP ($ in trillions)

Note. Data from The World Bank

The graphs demonstrate that GDP had been steadily declining from 2017 onwards.

However, the causes documented almost had nothing to do with child labor and there was little information on whether the rates had benefited or harmed the economy. In the last three years, the decline in GDP was caused by economic recessions and slow international economic growth.

But besides the causes and effects of the economic trends I researched, I also looked at what are the causes and what are the effects of child labor. Through this, I found out that the economy always needs high skill laborers in order to improve in the long run. And despite circumstances (in this case, which was the COVID 19 Pandemic), child labor always harms the economy as a whole. Although there was not much correlation found between high/low child labor rates and a healthy/unhealthy economy in the GDP graphs, I found that in any case, child labor would end up damaging the economy even if it helps in the short run.

My studies were limited to very little information collected about actual child labor rates and their impact on Latin American economies. But I decided to bring two and two together and concluded that eliminating child labor would not positively affect the post-COVID 19 economies of Latin American countries

Children were only able to help their families survive in the short run while the pandemic lasted. In the long run, these children will continue to work in low-paying jobs and not be able to move up the social ladders and contribute to their countries' economies in the future.

Note. Picture from Colombia Reports

I did my presentation in the first few days of the presentation window and received a lot of great feedback for my project. I wish I had consulted more with my peers about missing things and missing connections in my project. However, I intend to take into account the suggestions given to me when I write my final paper.

The research was able to spark my curiosity and drive for the social and moral aspects of the topic. I might research what the future for eradication of child labor looks like and how organizations like UNICEF plan to keep child labor out of our society for good.

I want to say thank you! to everyone who had an interest in my project and had taken the time to read this far. I will keep you all updated for my final post!

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