Child Labor in the Informal Sector: A study on the Impact of Child Labor in the Case of Children who are Engaged in Blacksmithing Activity in Kolfe/Keranio Sub-City
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Date
2007-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Child labor is a widespread and growing phenomenon in today’s world, especially in
developing countries. Alike other developing countries, child labor is a pervasive problem in
Ethiopia. Agriculture is by far the dominant sector of child employment in rural areas where
child laborers are mostly engaged in the informal sector in urban areas. Though there are
different types of child labor in the informal sector, this study focused on children that are
engaged in blacksmithing activity. The objective of the study was to examine causes and
impacts of child labor on children who are engaged in blacksmithing activity in Kolfe/Keranio
sub city. The study is descriptive in its nature and it employed a child-centred research. The
study employed cross-sectional research design by using both quantitative and qualitative
methods of data collection. The quantitative data were collected from the entire (45) children
who were engaged in the blacksmithing activity in the study site by the use of census survey
and via structured interview schedule. The qualitative data were collected using focus group
discussion conducted with the working children and observation. The findings of the study
revealed that the children were pushed to work by various socio-economic and cultural
factors. The core causes of child labor identified in the study were poverty, societal attitude,
rural-urban migration and peer influence. The study also revealed that the children were
leading adult lives. They were working for long hours under conditions damaging their health
and physical well-being. They were also deprived from meaningful educational opportunities
that could open up for them better future
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Social Work