You are the District Magistrate of a district that is known for making combustible substances such as match boxes and fire crackers. As per the The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, employment of children in such hazardous activities is prohibited. In this regard, government has also released a notification that owners of these manufacturing units need to report on the profiles of their employees annually as child labour has been prevalent in these industries. These manufacturing units, abiding by the directives of the government, publish such reports annually and claim to have successfully put an end to employment of child labour. However, it has been brought to your notice that these companies are taking advantage of loopholes in the law. They have been outsourcing their hiring to independent contractors who engage families in the business. The families have been continuing to use child labour to supplement their income and also keep the cost of labour competitive so as to bag more such contracts and since they are not officially on the payroll of the companies, they are absolved of the legal liabilities. (a) Identify the ethical issues in this case. (b) How would you approach the problem and what would be the main elements of your action?

Answered by 1 topper · CSE 2019

Syllabus: Case Studies on above issues.