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Could child labor ever be acceptable if it's done consentually? (monyet.cc)
submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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While child labor is viewed negatively, apparently child labor and child slavery aren't the same thing, and child labor though it could still be exploitative/cruel in other ways, can be done voluntarily by the child, and with fair treatment/compensation/etc.

I suppose you could make the argument that any child labor opens itself up to problems, but could it be done responsibly? And if not, then at what age do we draw the line of labor being not ok regardless of consent?

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[โ€“] [S] 4 points 2 years ago* (4 children)

I tend to agree, but what about making a child do chores in a family household? Most children don't want to do it and some don't get anything in return, the tasks can sometimes be grueling. Would that always be unethical, or only when taken to an excessive degree that severely impacts the child?

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  • [โ€“] 6 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    This is likely related to why kids can work in a family owned business to various extents. At least in the US. Not sure about elsewhere.

    The problem is that once you make it available for anybody, it becomes a societal pressure and children won't be given a choice since they can't make their own decisions for what they do. Hell, how many of us were 'forced' to get a summer job as a teenager by our parents?

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    In Germany children are obligated to help their parents in the household as long as they live with them. This extends to family business. By law the children have no right to be compensated, since they are already compensated by the parents feeding and housing them. Of course, this doesn't mean parents can just slave their children, there are plenty of health and security laws and what's generally reasonable for a child of varous ages to do.

    So no family sweat shop. but the bottom line is: in Germany kids are obligated to help out the household they live with.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Yeah, it's essentially similar in the US. I don't know if kids are legally obligated to do chores, but they can work in certain family businesses without monetary compensation. I just don't think it should be opened up to the point where you can hire any child. But in any case, pretty sure this is a troll post as their first example was cobalt mining. I mean, I guess there's a small chance it's not a troll, but very slim.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 years ago

    Oh, for sure. The exception to family businesses is probably both in Germany and the US rooted in the time the laws were made, where it would've been devastating to not allow families to include their children in the family business. And ultimately, there are probably plenty of laws in both countries that would check in on abuse.

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  • [โ€“] 4 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    It isn't commercial labor when an adult does their own chores (I think), as it's more related to the people in a household maintaining their own home. It likely wouldn't be labor for a child for the same reasons, though I'm not sure.

    But it could start to look like labor when it's something that produces commercial value, for example, it's more like a 'chore' to water the vegetable garden in the backyard, but it's more like 'labor' to tend to 20 acres of farmland.

    Excessive chores, though, could be prevented under child abuse law rather than child labor law, depending on how it's enforced. Doing all the household work voluntarily for no reason other than it's fun? Almost certainly legal. No video games until you clean the dishes? Probably legal. No food until you sweep, mop, dust, and shine every surface in the house? Probably abuse.

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  • [โ€“] 2 points 2 years ago

    And I mean, I would argue that household chores can be viewed as education. After all, at some point the children have to care for their own household and as such are good to learn routine cleaning, how to do dishes, how to shop and cook, how to crawl into a tiny tunnel to mine for gold and how to keep the garden tidy.

    There are some people who are adults who are kinda clueless about some basic things and I think it would've been a good part of education to have them make household chores from childhood onwards.

    Of course, this needs to be reasonable and age appropriate. So, I agree with the commercial aspect of it.

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  • [โ€“] 3 points 2 years ago

    Chores are largely part of childhood education. Humans need to be able to do things that they may not find fun to both to survive as functional adults and function as a part of society. They also help to teach responsibility and contribution to larger things than themselves, whether a family unit or society at large.

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