While there is a general consensus in the disapproval of child labor, the delegates of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) still seem to be caught in a skirmish in finding a plausible solution to the growing issue of child labour in the African cocoa industries, specifically that of Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
In an unexpected coalition, the delegation of the United States of America and China are collaborating to push for the usage of lawsuits, microloans, NGOs, and the enforcement of monitorial systems in order to both improve working conditions and to eradicate illegal underage child employment. China readily agreed to the points that USA claimed, asserting that by being able to monitor the situation more clearly, it is therefore plausible to improve corporate transparency and improve the working conditions for the labourers.
The delegate of Denmark brought up the idea of total pesticide probation, however the notion was quickly dismissed by the committee as both impractical and implausible.
“Denmark strongly believes that the banning of toxic chemicals is an excellent game plan to protect the under-equipped child laborers in the cocoa industry,” The delegate commented at an interview, “The countries not endorsing this probation is essentially asking for the children to be exposed to dangerous working conditions every single day.”
There were some voices of doubt pertaining to the proposals brought up by the US - China coalition. Several delegates, such as the representative of Germany, was concerned about the success rate as well as the legitimacy of their claims. The delegate reminded the two sponsors that monitoring systems already do exist, and that the primary concern should be gravitated towards reinforcement methods, not simply the creation of more organizations. In defense, Canada protected the United States’ claims, articulating that with enough evidence, lawsuits against multi-million dollar corporations can succeed.
In an unexpected coalition, the delegation of the United States of America and China are collaborating to push for the usage of lawsuits, microloans, NGOs, and the enforcement of monitorial systems in order to both improve working conditions and to eradicate illegal underage child employment. China readily agreed to the points that USA claimed, asserting that by being able to monitor the situation more clearly, it is therefore plausible to improve corporate transparency and improve the working conditions for the labourers.
The delegate of Denmark brought up the idea of total pesticide probation, however the notion was quickly dismissed by the committee as both impractical and implausible.
“Denmark strongly believes that the banning of toxic chemicals is an excellent game plan to protect the under-equipped child laborers in the cocoa industry,” The delegate commented at an interview, “The countries not endorsing this probation is essentially asking for the children to be exposed to dangerous working conditions every single day.”
There were some voices of doubt pertaining to the proposals brought up by the US - China coalition. Several delegates, such as the representative of Germany, was concerned about the success rate as well as the legitimacy of their claims. The delegate reminded the two sponsors that monitoring systems already do exist, and that the primary concern should be gravitated towards reinforcement methods, not simply the creation of more organizations. In defense, Canada protected the United States’ claims, articulating that with enough evidence, lawsuits against multi-million dollar corporations can succeed.