Is it only me

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ManlyBacker

Winging it
On top of yesterdays fantastic news about German women being forced into prostitution or lose their unemployment benefits (apols to byso), comes this other gem I saw in the SMH:

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>Research finds child labour works well for poor</span>
Its horrors were highlighted by Charles Dickens and countless campaigners since, but child labour - including prostitution, mining, deep-sea fishing and drug trafficking - should not be banned in poor countries, says a study by the Royal Economic Society of Britain.

The research, by two professors of economics, says making the worst forms of child labour illegal is misguided, does more harm than good, and can damage the economy and the living standards of many families in developing nations. The study says a worldwide ban, championed by the International Labour Organisation, could deprive families of money that could be used to pay for children's food and education.

"Where there is a choice, the worst forms of child labour will usually be chosen because they pay better than other forms, considered 'non-harmful'," the report says.

The authors argue that forcing all working children to do non-harmful child labour would lead to an overall drop in children's wages, "with adverse consequences for the welfare of all poor families". The research, "A Theory of the Worst Forms of Child Labour", appears in the Economic Journal, published this week.

The International Labor Organisation, a United Nations agency, says that, worldwide, more than 250 million children, aged five to 14 - including 153 million in Asia and 80 million in Africa - are in work, half of them full-time. Many work in hazardous conditions as prostitutes, drug traffickers, in quarries and mines, or on farms and in factories.

In 1999 the UN downgraded a total ban on child labour to one that only covered the worst examples. This convention has been ratified by 182 countries, including all developed nations, except Australia.

Blah, blah, blah – more paragraphs of convincing stuff….

A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said the research offered "a new perspective on the worst forms of child labour".
The Telegraph, London

I personally believe in the right of every child in the world to enjoy a childhood, as best as it can be offered. I am disappointed that Australia didn't sign and find this thinking incredibly disgusting. [b:f649d4ec0e]Is it only me, or have these folks completely and utterly lost the plot?![/b:f649d4ec0e]
 
Howard is not for signing on the dotted line on any of these. Its more of a labor government thing. Thats the way it is unfortunatly. I am suprised that he hasnt signed it though.
 
I don't think we can begin to imagine the problems that some countries must have when they need there children to enter the workforce like this. However child prostitution should be completley out of the question. Its disgusting that a man would even consider using such a service. :angry:
 
you have to be careful at some places in those countries eg Thailand as they just consider it normal. Ive heard stories about bars where you sit and order a drink and there is a curtain under the bar where certain acts are performed by child labour. I never went near any bar with a curtain after hearing that.

When i was there some of my mates picked up chicks at a night club and these women expected money to go home with my mates, they were not prostitues and had respectable normal jobs but the attitude is that they could make some money on the side. They were wrong. Its just a different attitude. A real shame.
 
A couple of observations:

1. It sickens me to see how peodophilia and the like is slowly getting sanitised. Terms like hebophilia (lover of children) are starting to gain currency and the advertising industry is full of 'underage' models being used to spruick product. I know that may sound prudish but I'm convinced that if we continue to blur these kinds of lines then in 30 years paedophilia will gain that status of "it's your choice" and will no longer be morally repugnant.

2. Much of our fast food industry is built on child labour and junior wages. To get our $5.95 pizza are we not perpetuating an arrangement in our own society that in relative terms is similar to sweat shops in Asia?
 
Cuncur with the pedo stuff Mata.

I dont think you could call part time work as a 15 year old child labour abuse. Yes it allows us to get cheaper products but it also helps teens learn how to survive in industry.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Matabele+Feb 3 2005, 03:06 PM</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>[b:0ee2affbd5]QUOTE[/b:0ee2affbd5] (Matabele @ Feb 3 2005, 03:06 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin I know that may sound prudish but I'm convinced that if we continue to blur these kinds of lines then in 30 years paedophilia will gain that status of "it's your choice" and will no longer be morally repugnant.

[/blockquote]
That's ridiculous, it will never reach that stage.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Volley+Feb 3 2005, 03:25 PM</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>[b:feef7eef71]QUOTE[/b:feef7eef71] (Volley @ Feb 3 2005, 03:25 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin <!--QuoteBegin-Matabele+Feb 3 2005, 03:06 PM</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>[b:feef7eef71]QUOTE[/b:feef7eef71] (Matabele @ Feb 3 2005, 03:06 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin I know that may sound prudish but I'm convinced that if we continue to blur these kinds of lines then in 30 years paedophilia will gain that status of "it's your choice" and will no longer be morally repugnant.

[/blockquote]
That's ridiculous, it will never reach that stage. [/blockquote]
I certainly hope not Volley. Mata still has a point. I know kids are growing up faster and faster each generation but I don't think it is a good thing for 7, 8 & 9 year olds to be wearing make-up and provocative clothes as the norm (at a girls dress up party - ok). The whole business of grabbing the tweens market and pushing them to make adult choices is wrong IMHO.

As for the main content of this posting I just can't see how the Royal Economic Society of Britain can even contemplate child slavery (and I cannot think of a better term) as being acceptable, no matter what the circumstances. There is a big difference in gaining money and work experience in a pizza shop and working in a mine, carpet factory, prostitution and probably for 12+ hrs a day!
 
Yeah agreed. A bit over the top of me to liken pizza hut employment to child prositution.

As an economist I'm sure the august gentlemen can make the assertion they do on purely economic grounds. However, it would be a very different scenario if we ripped the cigars out of their mouths, kicked their arse out of the leather padded chairs, spilling the gin and tonic in the process and sent them down a mine with no OH&S policy in Bangalore province. I bet they'd play a different tune then.
 
On the topic his name escapes me for the moment but what about the peda. who was recently released into civilised society and clearly he should not have been.
He looks sort of hunched over with oily longish hair and a bald spot in the middle
he was guilty of some shocking sex crimes against children and showed no remorse...how can it be then that this man was released ????
He was on the news last night after residents near by rightly kicked up a stick- they moved him 200m from a child care centre for f**Ks sake and I pretty sure I saw a taxi radio in his hand what the hell is going on there???
 
<!--QuoteBegin-PJ+Feb 3 2005, 05:04 PM</div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>[b:bf50c7a112]QUOTE[/b:bf50c7a112] (PJ @ Feb 3 2005, 05:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin On the topic his name escapes me for the moment but what about the peda. who was recently released into civilised society and clearly he should not have been.
He looks sort of hunched over with oily longish hair and a bald spot in the middle
he was guilty of some shocking sex crimes against children and showed no remorse...how can it be then that this man was released ????
He was on the news last night after residents near by rightly kicked up a stick- they moved him 200m from a child care centre for f**Ks sake and I pretty sure I saw a taxi radio in his hand what the hell is going on there??? [/blockquote]
Yeah that was Mergin (sic?) a town of something like 5000 people. I can assure you I wouldn't want that bloke living within 200 metres of my place whether he'd done his time or not. I see it as due dilligence, plain and simple, that the community needs to know about characters like that.

So the parents can take extra precautions at the very least.
 
Im Assuming it was the same one but some convicted pedo placed himself in voluntary custody yesterday after the community reaction. Id say its him.

Maybe he did move near Mata
 

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