Abstract
Hand-made soccerballs are produced mainly in Asian-developing countries, especially Pakistan, China, India, Thailand and Indonesia. This article aims to summarize factual conditions and policies to eliminate child labour engaging in soccerball productionin Pakistan and India because both countries produce more than 85% of soccerballs in the world.
Sialkot and her neighbouring villages in State of Panjab, Pakistan have been a major center of sports goods industry during about 80 years. Jallandhar became a center of soccerball production in India after the independence in 1947 because many Hindu artisans should move to India from Sialkot. Socio-economic and religious factors can be seen to sustain child labour in this sector.
In Pakistan many muslims are working to produce soccerballs since they have engaged in slaughtering cattles and dealing with leathers. In India many Dalits belonging to scheduled caste, mainly Chamar and Mahashak are engaged in production of soccerballs because hides of cattles are used for them. There are some Sikhs and Christians producing soccerballs whose caste formerly have belonged to Dalits.
The process of production is the followings. In the manufacturing/exporters factories, workers prepare the sheets and panels and do the screen printing under the order directed by foreign importers. Home-based workers sew the prepared panels brought by contracters as middlemen between factories and home-based workers. They make shape to the final balls. Then contracters and factory-based workers check quality of balls. As the final stage packing is done at the factories.
In the past stitching of balls was a highly skilled job. But the panel-stitching process becomes easier than before because almost all balls made of PVC and rubber are cut by machines. This made it easier to shift the stitching of balls to household level operations. As a result stitching child labourers can be seen as home-based workers whose families are extremely poor.
we can see more than 7000 child labourers from 5 to 14 years old in Sialkot and 10000in Jalandhar working either in stitching centers or at home under the contract system. V.V.Giri National Labour Institute of India reported that their piece-rated wages were below subsistance level and that there were big problems on dorp-out from schooling and worse working conditions.
In this article four examples of policies are examined to eliminate child labour. (1) One is the case of Reebok which is promoting labelling movement. Reebok made Human Rights Production Standards including prohibition of child labour. In Reebok's program, external monitering shall be ensured that children less than 15 are not entering the workplace. Further education or vocational trainign shall be supported in the soccer ball manufacturing region by Reebok. Child labour-free balls bear the following label - "Guarantee: Manufacturing without child labour".
(2) Initially FIFA was not eager to take up child labour. But in September 1996 Code of Labour Practice for production of goods licenced by the Federation internationale de Football Association was made among ICFTU (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions), ITGLWF (International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation) and FIET (International Federation of Commercial, Clerical Professional and Technical Employees). To became the Code effective, FIFA and labour unions concurred on the necessity of effective monitoring conducted by inspectors and introduction of informal education and training for working children. FIFA decided that soccerballs without logo of FIFA should not be used at formal soccer games, e.g. World Cup of 1998 in France.
(3) Atlanta Agreement was signed in February 1997 to ban child labour from soccerballs industry in Pakistan among ILO, UNICEF, WFSGI and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce. Many NGOs were involved to execute the agreement. So this is named as Partners' Agreement. Under this agreement stitching of footballs should be transferred to centers registered and monitered by the companies themselves and ILO. Even if a child is found working in a stitching center, the child is allowed to continue working in the same center until he/she is ready for training and education Because he/she cannot sustain his/her own life if he/she would be dismissed immediately. Next the programme of education and rehabilitation for children is organized under the help of UNICEF and NGOs in Pakistan. National Rural Suppert Programme has a purpose to generate income for families through micro-credit and saving scheme. Namely comprehensive social policies are executed to support working children and their families.
(4) Atlanta Agreement in India was discussed to be made under the leadership of SACCS (South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude). But manufacturing association in India refused to join with SACCS. And it adopted a self-monitoring system without the assistance of ILO. Therefore partners' agreement could not be successful in India.
In conclusion, comprehensive social policy shall be made to abolish child labour. Child labour has its roots in mainly poverty of his/her family life. So the policy shall be targetted not only to free children themselves, but also to save their families and their communities. In macro and micro level, action oriented approach in not only short term but also long term would be helpful to avoid child labour
It is so regrettable that many kinds of movements are not expanded from Japan to eliminate child labour in soccerball manufacturing industry though World Cup in 2002 is held in cooperation with Japan and South Korea.
