I recently downloaded and printed an excellent research report, no. 3, from the China Labour Bulletin entitled "Small Hands: A Survey of Child labour in China" [Sept. 2007]
[http://www.clb.org.hk]
The introductiion begins with a discussion of the Shanxi brickyard slavery scandal in June of 2007.
"The report is divided into five sections. The first is a brief introduction to the problem of child labour in China, and the laws and policy measures adopted by the gpovernment to prohibit it. The second section uses the interview records from the CLB [China Labour Bulletin] surveys to describe the living and working conditions of child labourers. The third and fourth sections form the crux of the report, illuminating through detailed personal interviews the causes of the supply of child labour in China. The final section summarises the report's main findings and presents CLB's policy recommendations. (For an outline of the research methodology used, and for details of the various survey sites, see appendix 1.)
One of the main sources helping to create a supply of child labor is the fact that the "free" public education systems in China is NOT free. Poor workers and farmers are forced to pay huge fees. This forces the children out into the labor market before they can finish school.
The CLB feels that the shortcomings of the education system is the root cause of the child labor supply. [Edit by="mwhittemore on May 26, 3:53:34 PM"][/Edit]
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