The Fallacy of "Child-Labor-Free"
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
by Rod Rojas
For those of us with artistic sensibility, the sight and feel of an
original, hand-woven oriental rug is a unique experience. These artifacts
are timeless in their design and quality, and their look improves with
age and wear. My wife and I have a special love for the rugs of northern
Morocco, called "kilims," which feature elegant and discreet
geometrical designs, unlike their more extravagant Persian
counterparts.
In a recent shopping adventure, in search for an addition to our kilim
collection, I saw one of those quality-control seals, a
"child-labor-free" certification. I must confess that I had the
same type of feeling I get when a waiter assures my friends that their
dish will have no MSG. But putting aside a discussion on whether the
carpet dealer knows how to order some labels at Staples, we do need to
address the well-meaning but erroneous tendency to boycott or ban the
products of child labor.
One of the first obstacles is defining what actually constitutes child
labor. What should the cutoff age be in societies where productive and
reproductive life begins very early? In the little towns where these rugs
are produced, teen marriage is normal even for boys. And just as it still
happens in our own farming communities, helping in the family business
starts extremely early. These, however, are technicalities of peripheral
importance compared to the main argument, which is that the only reason
our children don't have to do this type of labor is that we are
wealthier, not because of our child-labor laws nor because we are somehow
culturally or racially superior.
A few years ago, our family had the honor of befriending a group of
ethnic Germans from the Ukraine while living in Winnipeg, in central
Canada. These were some of the most gentle and loving people imaginable.
Most of them, now in their golden years, had to work very hard in their
childhood. I am talking long hours of farm or factory labor, barefoot and
on an empty stomach until supper, which was the only meal. Europe had
been devastated by the war; there was no other way.
Now, if you look at their children and grandchildren who grew up in
Winnipeg, from the same ethnic group with the same values and beliefs,
you see a very different story. The Canadian economic success is
reflected in their luxurious childhoods.
Indeed, economic development is the precursor of all things good and
humane. This sometimes even includes tangible expressions of parental
love a parent who puts a child behind a loom for ten hours a day does
so, not out of callous greed, but because this is what brings food to the
table.
Any ban or boycott on oriental rugs, or any other product of child labor,
is utterly counterproductive and potentially life-threatening to the very
people we are trying to protect. Only economic development can improve
the lives of these children, and nothing short of unrestricted free trade
will do.
Rod Rojas is a holder of the Canadian Securities Course designation and
performs as a financial adviser in personal, corporate, and public-policy
matters. He is a proud member of the Ontario Libertarian Party.
http://mises.org/daily/4761
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