India has sound child labor laws, yet millions of children are working, often in hazardous conditions. Child labor is partly a reflection of poverty. But it is not necessary to wait for a reduction in the poverty rate to tackle the most life-threatening and demeaning aspects of child labor. In the town of Pagsanjan in the Philippines civic action dramatically reduced child prostitution. In Brazil, India, and the Philippines local action, with public support, is improving the health status of working children and giving them greater educational opportunities.
Governments also have to set policy for public employment.
Many public sector workers work hard and productively. Restoring levels of pay and reducing the number of public workers are often essential reforms, to be combined with improvements in the recruitment, promotion, and accountability of civil servants, teachers, nurses, and policymakers. The redefinition of the role of the state makes it all the more important that governments be effective in those areas where they do stay involved. Advocates of linkage make a distinction between core standards, which for many would be akin to basic rights and do not directly raise labor costs, and other standards, such as minimum wages, that are a direct function of the level of development. Such a division is sound, and there is a case for international concern over core standards.