Kardashians to Child Labor

I am completely addicted of gossip magazines and read through the Us Weekly app on my iPod every morning and evening.  Admittedly, the comments made by the catty women following each article are what really tickle my fancy.  They routinely rip apart every celebrity and each other.

Naturally, one of the celebrities, or group of celebrities, that they tear into are the Kardashians.  I had no idea who these women were as I came to China before they became (in)famous.  As far as I know, they are trust fund "ladies", who have a show (had a show?), and have an affinity for marrying NBA players.

One of the recent articles about this family included allegations that they knowingly employed children working in sweat shops in China to produce whatever product it is that they make.  Following suit, the regular group of women started ripping apart the K's.  One woman defended the family by saying they probably didn't even know that was going on and that woman was then attacked.  But this is not about the vicious women who read gossip rags, nor is it about the Kardashians, it's about child labor and working conditions in China.

While we can all probably agree that child labor is bad, we would probably agree that starving families is worse.  For the most part, that is why children are forced to work in the first place.  "But why aren't the children going to school?  Doesn't the government try to step in?"  Well, no.  In China, going to school is an option; an expensive option at that.  Many children of blue collar workers will usually only finish primary school.  In a country where there are so many people, competition is cut throat, even for children a mere 7 years old.  In order to go to middle school, students must pass an "entrance examination".  Their entire primary school education leads up to this one test that will determine if they can go to middle school and which middle school they can attend.  If your grade is high enough, you can usually have your pick of school (assuming your family can afford it).  If you either can't afford the better school or your grade wasn't high enough, you can go to one of the other schools.  But even the "not so good" schools cost money.  And that's money that some families just don't have.

Children here are put into different "private academies" from the time they are able to speak.  The youngest student I've had in one of my classes was 3 years old.  The price of these extra classes can range anywhere from 500 RMB per semester to thousands of RMB per semester.  (The school I work for is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive and runs about 1,500 RMB per semester.)

Let's look at how a child of a blue collar family would fare among his classmate whose parents work in offices.  Let's assume that child A's family earns about 4,000 RMB per month.  If they don't own their own apartment, we can automatically deduct 1,000 to 2,000 for rent.  Let's take the average and say 1500.  They are down to 2,500 per month of income.  Subtract utilities, cell phone charges (everyone and their dog has a cell phone here), random repairs to the house, insurances and fees.  That's about 2,000 per month.  Feeding a family of three (remember the one child policy and assuming the retired grandparents don't live with them) brings it it about 1,000 per month.  Then we've got school supplies, bus fare, random things that people need to stay healthy (maybe medicine once in a while, toiletries, etc).  We're down to about 750 RMB per month.  If one English class costs 1000 per semester (we'll assume this child is going to an English school with only Chinese teachers teaching, no foreign teachers) that's about 150 RMB per month.  That family has 600 RMB per month now.  Then we have to add in that the kid needs to take supplementary classes in art, science, math, geography, history, and Chinese in order to keep up with his classmates.  That family has nothing left and we haven't even counted in the tuition for the primary school, the books for the classes, and the uniforms.

When we compare this to child B's family, we can see that there is not really any competition here.  Even middle class families have a huge advantage in this area.  We'll assume that the parents make about 8,000 RMB.  2,000 for an apartment (although most of them own because it is customary for the groom's family to buy a house for the new couple for their wedding).  These children will probably eat better food, attend better schools, have nicer clothes, and probably have private tutors.  Even if these two families might end up with the same amount of savings after each month, child B's education is much greater than that of child A's. In many situations, middle class families have what is referred to as guanxi (or relationships), this will also influence the price of things.  A past private student of mine lived in what I would consider to be a high-middle-class family.  His mother was a professor at a university and his father either owned his own company or was high up in this company.  Because the wife worked for a university which has a primary, middle, and high school affiliated to it, her son is guaranteed acceptance to the schools throughout his school career.  They also don't have to pay for it.  (I might mention this is one of the best schools in the city.)  The wife makes about 5,000 or 6,000 RMB per month and her entire salary goes towards classes for her son.  They live solely on the husband's income.

Now imagine something happens where one of child A's parents is unable to work any more.  (We've all heard about the safety regulations here, or lack of them.)  That family's income is significantly reduced.  Unless that child is the first ranking child in the school, he will probably have to drop out of school.  Not only because of the lack of funds for tuition, but the lack of funds to pay for the medical bills, food, and rent.  Now, we have a family who has only one income.  Depending on the guanxi that this family has as well as any familial relation that is willing or able to help, this child may end up having to go to work to help support his family.  This might mean begging on the street, becoming a pickpocket, or working in a factory.  This child doesn't have any marketable skills, usually.  Occasionally, children will be sent to different cities to find work in a "bathhouse".  These bathhouses are just that, a large bathroom where you can take a hot shower and get massages and exfoliating rubs.  It is common for Chinese people to visit these establishments.  Some are respectable while others are just an excuse for a whore house.  Many of the young ladies who are forced to drop out of school to earn money for their family resort to prostitution in the bathhouses.

Therefore, we, finally, get to child labor.  Of course, depending on the company that one works for, there can be deplorable working conditions.  However, to say that children should not be working is not an acceptable answer to child labor.  Many if not most children who hold jobs in China did not wake up one morning and think, "To hell with school.  I can make a ton of money by starting to work now.  Who cares if I am only 12?"  Instead, it is usually a long thought out and decision after numerous hours of discussion with loved ones.  "Yes, sorry little Jimmy, you can't go to school anymore.  We can't afford it and we need help to buy food.  You need to find a job."

Again, here many people would jump in and say, "But don't they have insurance?  Aren't doctors required to  treat sick people even if they don't have insurance?  Doesn't the government have welfare systems for these occasions?  What about the Red Cross?"  Let's answer these one by one...

Insurance:  While many people do have insurance through their employer, many others do not.  If there is a law requiring all companies to provide health insurance to full time workers, I am not aware of it (nor do I claim to be all knowing in any area, especially Chinese law).  If there is a law, many companies can get by with not providing insurance due to the aforementioned guanxi.

Doctors:  Hospitals are not required to help in any case.  If a patient comes in to the ER bleeding out, the hospital isn't required to do anything to help unless that person pays the estimated bill before any procedure is done.  And no, showing an insurance card doesn't work.  You pay then insurance reimburses you later.  Don't have the $5,000 required to reattach your severed leg right now?  Oh.  Tough luck.  Looks like you have just enough to afford the doctors to stop the bleeding and stitch it up.

Welfare:  Not a clue.  I've never heard of anyone receiving financial aid from the government in cases of poverty.  Again, not sure, but never heard even the tiniest suggestion of it.

Red Cross:  I believe it was about a year ago, the president of the Chinese Red Cross was thrown in jail and possibly executed because he was stealing donations.  Many people had donated to a child who couldn't afford a necessary surgery.  The child died before the money got to the family because the president of the organization used the money instead of passing it on.

I hope I have clearly laid out why one should not jump the gun on banning all child labor.  Of course, there are horrible jobs out there.  There is child trafficking.  There is slavery.  There are terrible things being done in some places.  But for some of these families, that is, sadly, the only way they can continue to survive.

I hope to explore this further in the weeks to come.

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I have not written this to say that child labor is good or that everyone should condone it.  It's just to help open some eyes as to why some parents send their children to work instead of to school.

Students

Our student received the highest award at the speech competition a few weeks ago.  She was thrilled, except for the fact that her classmate also got the highest award.  Her classmate is the headmistress's daughter and apparently quite a bitch.

We have a new student starting soon.  She just finished taking her SATs, TOEFL, and the like.  She wants us to teach her AP Physics and stuff like that.  I figure if she already knows physics, why doesn't she just use a dictionary to translate those words?  While meeting with her about a month ago, she would constantly roll her eyes at me and speak rudely.  But $35/hour is good money and she can roll her eyes at me all she wants for that price.

I am constantly amazed by the amount of kids here that are being forced to learn English beyond what is taught at their schools.  Even more amazing is the price that these parents are willing to pay!  When I first arrived here, I was told that 100 RMB/hour (about $15) is an average price for a one-to-one class with a native speaker.  About a year or two later, the price went up to 150 RMB.  At one point, we had so many students and I had no evening off that I started telling people that classes were 200 RMB/hour.  I did this assuming most would say that was too expensive and I would be able to have some time off.  As of now, I have one evening with no students.  It's nice and it sucks at the same time.

On that note, gotta get ready for another class.  9 year old.  Our first class with him is tonight.