Impacts of Globalization on child labor in Pakistan

Abstract

The article outlines finding of the research titled ‘Globalization and Its Impacts on Child Labor:
Pakistan as Case Study”. The research objective of this study was to test the hypothesis:
Globalization has left adverse impacts on child labor in developing countries. The myth that child
labor is indispensable for developing countries to remain competitive in the international markets is
unfounded. The hypothesis that globalization can help reduce child labor in developing countries is
also supported by researches. The literature on child labor is huge and in great disorder. Media
propagation has been a vital factor in bringing the child labor to the priority agenda. It has galvanized
international and national organizations into action to rehabilitate working children and prevent
further growth of child labor. Successful efforts also need to be targeted against all kinds of wide
spread child labor in the country. Furthermore, any legislation should not only ban the employment
of child labor but it should cover other aspects of the child welfare as well. Economy bound
measures are the better option against child labor. Although evidence from South Asia gives
glimpses of success that trade sanctions helped reduce child labor from specific sectors as per se,
however, such approaches failed to address the root causes of the child labor and at times further
added to the miseries of the child labor. Children also fall victims to child labor as a result of
improper education facilities. Should an outright ban on child labor be imposed? Furthermore, this
fall of family income added additional pressure on children to work. Our efforts and strategies to fight
against child labor still need fine tuning.Surely living in a world which is free from worst forms of
child labor will be a much important milestone in the over all goal of eliminating all kinds of child
labor. Bringing menace of child labor to limelight is appreciable but curbing this menace still needs a
strong global effort. To materialize the idealism of child labor free world, we still have a long journey
to travel. The fact that increase in per capita income brings decline in child labor presents an
argument that economic development, improving labor standards, and the consequent elimination of
child labor could be achieved through facilitation in free trade and open markets.