SOME CHILDREN that appeared to be under the age of 10 were seen being photographed wearing heavy sweaters on the Bund in Shanghai recently, even though the outdoor temperature was 30 C. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

According to local media reports, the children were modeling the sweaters for a local clothing company.

It should be noted that it is legal in Shanghai for companies to hire children for certain occupations that do not require any heavy labor. However, that does not give the green light to companies to excessively exploit the children and ignore their rights and interests. Anybody with basic common sense knows that it is dangerous for a person to overheat.

In the Shanghai case, if the companies put the children's health at risk they should be punished.

When a video photographer questioned the parents accompanying the child models, the only response was "It's a private matter".

No. In fact it's a public affair if the children's rights are violated and they are put at risk. The parents as custodians of the children might face legal penalties, too, if they fail in their duty as guardians to protect the children properly.

The age of the child models is another question that must be asked. In practice, children younger than 10 are considered not mature enough for such jobs as being models to help sell clothes.

In May, the Zhejiang provincial procuratorate together with several local judicial departments formed the first child model protection system in China, which requires commercial companies to avoid hiring child models under the age of 10.

The mechanism is legally binding in Zhejiang province only, where there are many online clothes shops that hire child models. Now the Shanghai case highlights the necessity of protecting child models' legal rights in other places, too.