Children of Other Worlds: Exploitation in the Global Market [Paperback]

'[An] unusual capacity to juxtapose the experiences of different societies is the key to Seabrook's new book on child labour in the Third World. The subject could hardly be more topical. Yet Seabrook is wholly immune to demands fro a rush to judgment. Children of Other Worlds is not just a study of children's work in Bangladesh, but also a reminder of the debates about child labour in Britain ... Seabrook's passionate reporting and advocacy deserves a wide readership. Although his tone is sombre, he has a good sense of humour. The poor young women of Dhaka, he notes, have only three options: to make clothes, to wash them, or to take them off.' Richard Gott, The Independent 'Seabrook paints a harrowing picture of life for children cut loose from their family unit by economic or other pressures ... [He] has crafted an informative tale of the darker side of capitalism ... His empathy for the children he meets shines through, although his restrained anger is evident. Excellent.' The Irish Times 'Jeremy Seabrook pulls no punches in this examination of how global markets exploit children throughout the world - child 'consumers' in the West as well as child producers in the South.' The Lecturer 'Very mouth-watering and intellectually rich with a human touch. As a youth worker who believes in social justice, this should be a handbook for those involved in global community and youth work.' Philip Chilambe Kunda, Community & Youth Worker 'London-based journalist Seabrook, who has written widely on labor, Asia, and the sex trade, compares child labor in contemporary Bangladesh with that of industrial Britain in the 19th century. By including extensive testimonials from Bangladeshi children, he illustrates many disturbing similarities in the mills and factories of the two nations--in the exodus to the city, social attitudes to poverty, and the absolute necessity of child labor to supplement inadequate family income. Seabrook describes the work of nongovernmental organizations in Dhaka, which envision a gradual elimination of the need for child labor and educate (with the cooperation and involvement of their employers) under the age of 15 who work long hours. Seabrook questions whether the need for child labor will ever be eliminated in this part of the world, given that the region does not have the same historical means of creating wealth that the industrialized world had. The author poses many questions: Are we imposing normative or subjective values? Does a child really need an education? Can the South increase its wealth without slavery and colonialism?' Publishers Weekly 'Seabrook compares the plight of child workers in Bangladesh, at the present time, with those in Victorian Britain.' Marxist Review

Jeremy Seabrook is a researcher and writer. He is the author of The Refuge and the Fortress: Britain and the Flight from Tyranny 1933 - 2008 (2008), Consuming Cultures: Globalization and Local Lives (2006), Travels in the Skin Trade (Pluto, 2001) and Cities (Pluto, 2007).