Prioritizing Human Rights Over China, Essay Example

A lot of nations are threatened by the rapid economic growth of China. The country is considered as a tough competitor in terms of manufacturing because of its strong capacity in producing a lot of various products for a very cheap industrialized cost. China’s amount of goods and services GDP is over 70% including its imports and exports in comparison to United States, Japan and other European regions that only have 25-30%. This makes China the world’s top and leading exporter (Humphrey & Schmitz, 1). The reformation of the government of this nation has contributed to its unparalleled promptness on its economy’s improvement. Studies assume that if this rapid growth continues, China will take over United States of America’s position in the industry of manufacturing. In fact, the performance of China at the moment has a great effect on the societies from the Western part of the globe contributing to challenges and opportunities. In fact, many Americans have already thought that the rise of China is a big threat for them.

In spite of the improvement on its economy, a lot of people and groups still criticize and question the status of human rights in China. Numerous studies concerning the condition of Chinese workers, women and youth are still available for public awareness. In the midst of globalization, the country is still known for its old traditions and practices that oppress the rights of their citizens. Discrimination among women is still evident nowadays although there has been notable improvement on this context. Likewise, the right of children to live is still suppressed through China’s one child policy, child trafficking, exploitation, and selling or opening female children for adoption because most Chinese people believe that male children will help them more on their businesses in the future (Ren, 2). Lastly, the laborers’ condition in the country has been reported to be very dissimilar from the condition stated on the labor law. These workers are reported to be working on hazardous and tiring environment with very little compensation and no benefits at all (Ren, 4). The objective of this paper is to evaluate the status of the nation in terms of its economy and how its standing on the global industry affects the rights of Chinese Citizens. Likewise, this paper aims to deliver that regardless of the rapid development of the country, a lot of Chinese people are still left behind because their rights are violated and neglected by the government.

Good Economy Leads to Violation of Human Rights and Low Income for Workers

As of the moment, China owns the sixth position on the world’s leading economies. However, the income of Chinese laborers is still evidently low. It was reported that workers on high-technology factories are suffering from low compensation and violation of labor rights. The pressures in this workplaces lead to abuses of human rights. In addition, workers are obliged to work on excessive hours while getting very low income. Students are also reported to be working on these factories as interns. These humiliating conditions also include restrictions on the worker’s personal liberty, and risks on their safety and health (“High Tech, Low Pay in Focus”, par. 2).

China Labor Watch (5-6) revealed that there are problems with overtime, wages, labor intensity, labor contract and discrimination in factories established in the country. It was found out that these factories overtime duration per month ranges from 36 to 160 hours. This suggests that factories do not comply with the laws of labor in China which mandates that overtime should not exceed 36 hours. It was also reported that in 2010 in Honkai Electronics, the average monthly income amounts to $76.20. Deductions due to dormitory lodgings, food, utilities fee and social insurance resulted to this very inconvenient income which does not meet the monthly minimum wage of $138 USD. Due to this, workers are obliged to work in excessive hours to increase their compensation. Also, the intensity of work in most factories is very inhumane because workers are only given with ten minutes break. This is the only time for them to eat or attend to their personal needs such as visiting the restroom.

China’s Law on Protection Women’s Right and Interests 1992 is intended to safeguard the women of the country however a lot of violations are still reported up to now. Violation such as discrimination, unjust dismissal, sexual harassment, wage discrepancies and demotion are still manifesting (“Women’s Right Situation in China”, 3). In fact, it was informed that women are encouraged or forced to have early retirement. The payment of these workers is also cut in times of financial difficulties in a company. Many women are unemployed because employers tend to hire men due to the avoidance of expenses for childcare and maternity leave. China Labor Watch (56) revealed that in Flextronics (Zhuhai) Ltd., Co. two female laborers were raped and murdered and the factory still did not improve its security measures after the tragic event.

Child exploitation and labor are still significant issues in China. They are often exploited in hazardous and unhealthy work places concentrating on technology and even fireworks production. It was reported that child labor is often predominant in industries such as textiles, toy production, food production, construction and mechanical occupation (“Child Labor, Forced Labor and “Work Experience” in China – The Blurred Lines of Illegality”, 1). Some students tend to work on factories during their summer breaks. These student workers are subjected to strenuous workloads resulting to problems with their physical, mental and even psychological health. These young laborers work for over twelve to sixteen hours during peak seasons. Employers usually prefer illegally recruited youths due to their lack of need for social security charges as well as medical payments.

Opinions on the Current Situations

These conditions should be unexpected for a country is considered as a great competitor of big nations such as the United States of America and Japan. A lot of foreign and local workers are striving to work on the latter two countries due to the great compensation they can get as well as the security and protection the government provides for its laborers. However, in China, the government seems to only care about its economy neglecting the key to its success, which are the labor groups. It is very important for the nation to provide what their people deserve to have in exchange of their hard work and efforts. China would not be on its position without the help of its citizens. Besides, foreign investors won’t be interested on outsourcing on the country without the presence of the Country’s big and hard working population.

Likewise, foreign investors should be ethical enough to refrain from supporting the low manufacturing cost in China. The rise of the presence of international investments on the country is manifestation that these investors tend to save more of their money in exchange of high quality products for the global market. However, it is the rights of the laborers that are sacrificed as well as their privileges as human. With this, labor law in china should be reviewed regularly and reports on violation of these rules should be considered.

Also, in the modern society, it is important that discrimination concerning a person’s age and sex should be eliminated. Both men and women have the capability to work thus they have to get equal compensation from the company. The government should encourage the female labor force to report the occurrences of discrimination or harassment on their working area. Women are afraid to speak out because they do not want to lose their jobs and it is only the government that can help them with their situation. Organizations both foreign and local advocating the rights of women and children should also be more vigilante and non-fearing when it comes to divulging the violations made by these companies.

Likewise, children should not be exploited and the government should focus on their nurturance and education. Although child exploitation is also a problem among third world countries, China should not be lined with these nations in terms of child abuse due to their great capacity to protect their citizens. The country has enough wealth and knowledge to safeguard the youth of the nation and provide adequate education to help these children become prepared for their future contributions on the economy. It is therefore important to prioritize human rights first before going after the economic rise of the country. This will not only contribute the locals of the China but it will also improve the reputation of the country in terms of protection its citizens and executing its laws.

Works Cited

Child labor, forced labor and “work experience” in China – the blurred lines of illegality. 2007. Hong Kong Liaison Office. Web. 24 May 2012.

China Labor Watch. 2012. Tragedies of Globalization: The Truth Behind Electronics Sweatshops. Web. 24 May 2012.

High Tech, Low Pay In Focus. n.d. Business and Human Rights Organization. Web. 24 May 2012.

Humphrey, J. & Schmitz, H. 2006. The Implications of China’s Growth for other Asian Countries. 2006. Web. 24 May 2012. <http://www.ids.ac.uk/files/DFIDAgendaPaper1106.pdf>.

Ren, X. 2004. Trafficking in Children: China and Asian Perspective. 2004. Web. 24 May 2012. < http://www.no-trafficking.org/content/web/05reading_rooms/China/trafficking_in_china_china_and_asian_perspective.pdf>.

Women’s rights situation in China. n.d. One Woman. Web. 24 May 2012.