> Wasn't the same true for child labor in various industries? Seems like outlawing slavery doesn't get rid of the slave owners, instead they just move to the next unprotected group.

Yup, many of those megacorps took that page directly from the IMF and World Bank.

Child labor is a tricky one because it's actually viewed as a positive in poor countries. The alternative isn't 'no child labor', it's other types of child exploitation like prostitution.

I don't have a reference but there was a follow up report in a poor region where commercial child labor was abolished, and the outcomes weren't great.

Child labor is often a net negative because children can't go to school. If employers had to ensure the children go to school then I could see how it could be a net benefit during the transition period.