Facing international criticism, many developing-world pragmatists say that some nations' economies as well as individual family incomes would collapse if their children did not work. It is debatable if a ban on child labor is likely to lead them to the benefits of education. Indeed, a recent Oxfam study found that many Bangladeshi children forced under international pressure out of their textile factory jobs wound up on the streets, some in prostitution. Children often must work out of dire economic necessity. Families struggling to survive in developing countries put all members to work, young and old alike.
Some children become important wage contributors when parents or siblings fall sick.
As AIDS devastates the adult population in parts of East Africa, children have little choice but to support families themselves. In some countries, religious beliefs prohibit women from holding jobs, so children fill the income gap. But many non-governmental organizations and human rights groups assert that poverty is not the only reason child labor exists, and it cannot excuse child exploitation. Children's advocates point to greed and exploitation at the root of child labor. Manufacturers and employers intent on profit perpetuate the problem because they can pay children less and control them more easily than adults.