With the dramatic rise in offshoring in recent years, there remains a "dirty little secret" - child labor is still commonplace in many developing countries and particular industy sectors.

The graphic below was taken from a recent Forbes magazine cover story on this issue. Many of the "low cost" countries still use very high percentages of child labor, according to a number of sources.

"Every time you buy an imported handmade carpet, an embroidered pair of jeans, a beaded purse, a decorated box or a soccer ball there's a good chance you're acquiring something fashioned by a child," the Forbes piece says.

Source: Forbes Magazine

Should Western companies impose their views of appropriate child labor practices on other economies, especially for farming and family businesses? That's a trickier question than some might admit. Nonetheless, this issue is likely to get greater attention in the next few years.

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