Absolutely. This is why child labour laws are typically stronger in more affluent countries, where there are opportunities for better jobs beyond factory work.

Absolutely. This is why child labour laws are typically stronger in more affluent countries, where there are opportunities for better jobs beyond factory work. The efficacy of education isn't really as much of an issue as the job prospects for the educated, which, in affluent countries, are generally better than job prospects for non-educated individuals. My policy rationale presupposes this, and it's certainly not relevant in every country. I do agree that the Western view of completely boycotting child labour causes more harm than good. But corporations must respect local laws. Such laws are created by the countries themselves, who are in the best position to decide whether the imposition of a minimum age is a good policy choice. I didn't mean to say that a minimum age is a good policy choice everywhere, because it might not be. But we can't make an educated decision on when to have a minimum wage if we don't know why we're doing it :)