Fair-trade-and-child-labor

Abstract

Child labor is a global problem that has attracted much discussion. Various proposed solutions include attempts at improving international compliance with human rights standards, levying of trade sanctions or boycotts, and increasing legislation and prosecution of crimes. None of these solutions have achieved more than marginal success, largely because they are rarely enforced and ignore the root causes of child labor. The use of fair trade labeling to combat child labor is an approach that has received virtually no attention in the legal community. Yet, primary qualitative research and case studies presented here illustrate that fair trade may be an alternative to current strategies to eliminate child labor. First, fair trade relies on market incentives and private monitoring with effective punishments for noncomplying fair trade companies. Second, it is voluntary and private, avoiding the political problems with international monitoring which rarely end in enforcement or penalties. Third, unlike prosecutions that focus on a small number of the resulting problems of child labor and trafficking, fair trade focuses on improving incomes, working conditions, health, and education of a large number of workers. Keywords: Human trafficking