Child Labor

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Child Labor

All companies must strive to enforce a zero tolerance policy for child labour. Companies buying from Chinese suppliers should be especially vigilant in enforcing this law. In the case study, Samsung declined to sever ties with Shinyang Company, which was accused of hiring underage children. The excuse that Shinyang gave was that it did not directly hire children, but its subcontractor was to blame. In this situation, Samsung showed that it was willing to overlook the violation of child labour policy under Chinese laws. Such practices show that companies are willing to overlook some cases of hiring children, and this creates a culture of permissiveness. Some countries are not very strict when it comes to enforcing child labour laws, and this may lead some people to hire children for several reasons. Children cannot fight for their rights, such as fair wage and good working conditions. They, therefore, end up being exploited and they lose their innocence. They also end up missing out on the chance to get an education so that they can decide what to do with their lives.

To protect children, companies such as Samsung should have zero tolerance towards companies that hire children. A zero tolerance policy will make companies hiring children to lose business opportunities and therefore, they will be forced to abandon the practice. Permissiveness and willingness to overlook some instances such as the case of Shinyang Company promote child, and this should be done away with altogether. Companies should also implement strict vetting procedures for the companies that they buy products from. When a supplier is found to be in violation of child labour policies, the partnership should be severed immediately, and there should be other consequences such as fines. Doing this will go a long way to ensuring that children all over the world are protected from underage employment and exploitation.