How to Stop Child Labour

No one will produce what no one buys….

Child Labour continues to be a concern in this day and age but because of the efforts of labour groups, governments, companies and ordinary people like you and me, the number of companies employing child labour is going down.

What can be done to stop child labour completely? How can we as a civilization come together and solve this injustice being done to our young generation? There are many ways to help and every action that discourages this inhuman practice, no matter how small, will go a long way.

More: Child Labour in Sweatshops

Using your consumer power

Social media guarantees that consumers nowadays have very powerful voices. Negative consumer feedback and campaigns, bad publicity – companies avoid all this. Not one organization wants to be accused of employing child labor as this will affect their profitability when consumers boycott their products.

As a consumer, you can make sure that the products you’re buying does not employ child labour. If you’re not sure how a product was produced you can do some research. Just simply being aware of the latest news and efforts on the child labour industry can give you the information you need to make responsible choices. There are many websites that give information on which companies/brands are being accused of child labour practices.

There are also sites like Firmhugger where you can find a list of green products and ethical companies. The list is updated by the consumers themselves. You can patronize these products to support companies who are making a positive move to make our world a better place.

If there’s no market for the products being made by children, there won’t be any point producing them. If you’re wondering how to stop child labour the answer is simple – Stop Buying Their Products.

More: Child Labor Facts and Statistics

Always remember that the consumers are the driving force of global economies. You can help drive it in the right direction – away from Child Labour practices. As an individual, you can raise awareness, question the stores about who makes their product, demand labelling and transparency and support products that are not violating the rules of Fair Trade.

Passion can drive change!

If you’re really passionate about it and would like to join a group, find a local group, union or even start your own. Raising awareness and educating people on why child labour needs to be stopped is one of the best ways to end this practice. People need to know that it’s happening, where, how and why.

There are more than 200 million children worldwide who are still doing hazardous work – work that are not meant to be done by their small hands. Companies utilize child labour because they’re cheap and it raises their profit margins. Greed is the reason and you can stop it. If they want their products to be bought then they should stop using children to make them – or you won’t buy it. That’s the kind of power you have.

For more stories behind the numbers and statistics, visit The World Counts: Stories. See where you can make a difference. Everyone counts.