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Article: Unraveling child labor and labor legislation.
- Article from:
- Journal of International Affairs
- Article date:
- September 22, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Columbia University School of International Public Affairs. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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"The reality that forces poor families to defy child labor laws raises doubts about whether legislation can be enforced successfully."
In 1993, social workers and human rights activists were stunned when approximately 70,000 youngsters were unceremoniously thrown out of the Bangladeshi garment industry, prompted by the threat of a US bill to ban imports of goods made by children. (1) Deprived of a regular income, many of the children were driven to the informal sector, which, though unregulated and poorly paid, protected them from the scrutiny of the international media. (2) Although ostensibly aimed at eliminating the exploitation of children worldwide, the ...