Child labor is more of an issue than the 'image of the sector'

Daily Hürriyet reporter Burak Coşan has documented child laborers between the ages of 10 and 14 who work for 12 hours a day at unregistered textile workshops in Istanbul's Küçükpazar neighborhood. 

Following this story, managers of professional unions issued several statements, somehow only focusing on the aspect that these kinds of stories create a perception that deteriorates Turkey's image, which in turn stimulates the possibility of damaging businesses.   

The textile sector, they said, was under suspicion because of these pirate workshops, which caused trouble for textile investors when signing international business contacts. 

Is our real concern "the damage caused by these images to exporting firms?"  

No, sir; our real concern is having child laborers working in unsafe environments. The heads of professional unions have also said that "the state should control these working conditions. They should take measures." 
Well, would the child labor problem be solved with control? No, it would not. 

The reason is that, child labor, just like child marriages, is an accepted phenomenon in the society. In the "Workplace Murders Almanac 2016," lawyer Seda Akço has spoken about a prejudice, which is totally wrong but has been accepted in the society. 

We regard kids who start working at early ages as those who mature much faster when compared to their peers. We also believe that the working life teaches the realities of life to children at an early age. "As a matter of fact, the circumstances serve an aim that is just the opposite of maturing," Akço said.

Akço believes that controlling workplaces would not eliminate the problem. According to her, a system to support and monitor the attendance of children...