Low Wages In Third World Countries

Low wages have been a problem for a while in third world countries. For many years, because of low wages, workers from these nations do not have enough to support their families, children under eighteen are forced to work instead of learn, and health care is almost nonexistent. Although the work hard daily, the workers are paid with barely enough to get anything for themselves, let alone their families. These people are still human; they need a good amount of money to buy food, clothes, and medication. Instead of being in school, children are working in sweatshops to support parents. Here in the US, with permission to do so, one need to be at least sixteen to work. Children are accepted to work and some are being bought off their own parents'

Although there are more jobs available for the people living in the rural areas, it does not mean they are moving to a better place. As of 1999, Nike claims that they have the Micro Enterprise Loan Program in Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, and Pakistan for families that are in need of money (Wisley and Lichtig n. pag.). However, the latest analysis of workers’ debt as of 2010 shows that the number of workers in debt to their companies has increased; because of that, more workers are working without pay to pay off their loans (Roggero et al 272). Also, since wages are too low, the employees take loans that eventually lead to their children into doing labor and stop attending school to help with the family’s debt. Since most debts are unable for the workers to pay off, after they pass away, their children have to take their parents’ workplace, leading to child labor (Ballinger 36). Much data have been collected proving that companies with factories in the third world countries are nowhere helping with improving incomes of their

In 2002, Nike claims that “an expansion of education programs in the factories, including middle and high school equivalency course available for all workers in Nike footwear factories” (Wilsey and Lichtig n. pag.). Such education is provided for the workers that want to have more education such as young children. Even though that was being put out to the public, Global Exchange, an organization which fight for the rights of workers, asserts that “Nike’s programs are more geared towards office workers in the factory and not the factory workers themselves” (Wilsey and Lichtig n. pag.). Only office workers are being aimed to get extra education because the workers are being put to work and office workers are mainly people from the company itself. Besides that, low paid workers have no such thing as non-working hours to be able to attend class, study, and pass exams. In reality, the employees that are working under minimum age do not have enough time to go to school because they are too tired and too hungry to learn after their work hours (Reddy 210). All in all children are not anywhere near getting their education and adults are not getting them either because of time issues and the harsh after