Ethics Newsline®

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
The International Labor Organization (ILO) last week announced a new $500,000 campaign aimed at getting Pakistani children out of the dangerous business of making surgical instruments.

U.S. firms hunting for inexpensive surgical equipment are largely responsible for funding the trade, which employs an estimated 7,000 child workers in hazardous conditions, the Associated Press reported.

The children work with toxic chemicals, and handle dangerous cutting, heating, grinding, and sandblasting equipment for an average monthly wage between $5.50 and $28.

The ILO and UNICEF have earmarked $500,000 to set up a monitoring agency, send children to school, and increase awareness of the dangers faced by the child workers.

While some human-rights groups have called for a boycott of Pakistan’s surgical-instrument manufacturers, ILO analyst Antero Vahapassi said such drastic measures are “unjustified,” since the industry has shown a willingness to end child labor and cooperate with the ILO.

An estimated 3.3 million children under the age of 14 work in Pakistan, according to the AP report.