Berhane, Zerihun (PhD)Korme, Ashenafi2018-06-112023-11-182018-06-112023-11-182017-01http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/12345678/260This research aimed at investigating the prevalence of child labor in Africa: a case study of Kechene neighborhood in Ethiopia. The study focused on the overall feature of child labour in Africa and Ethiopia, legal instruments of Ethiopia and the gap between the child protection laws on theory and its implementation; the causes for the involvement of children in the labour market; the social, economic, health and educational impacts of child labour on the working children; the challenges and abusive practices that these working children face; the opinions of child labourers to wards to child labour. To carry out this research, the researcher employs a qualitative method. With regards to data collection tools, the researcher collected primary data‟s through semi-structured interviews, FDG and observation. “Child labour” theories such as the „labour market‟, the „human capital‟, the „social responsibility‟ and the „child-centered‟ theories were reviewed for shedding light on the issue of child labour in the waveing and pottery activities of kechene neighborhood. Child labour in the potter and waver activities are not expansively studied. To my knowledge, the already existed few studies were only concerned with the investigation of on the fundamental causes and consequences of child labour. The findings of this study shows that the phenomena of poverty, immigration and family displacement, trafficking, unemployment, prevalence of HIV/AIDS, parental death and educational system are the major causes of child labour in the study area. It also shows the negative impacts of child labour on the holistic personality development of working children. “Work” might have a positive impact of enabling children to meet their basic needs, develop self-confidence and a sense of self-reliance. Children may perceive the phenomena of child labour from different angle. Some children, view „work‟ as useful for their survival. Some others perceive it like „harmful‟ to their development. In this study more emphasis was also given to examine the notion of the Ethiopian government‟s child labour legislations and their enforcements or lack of it in the context of study area. It was found out that the government of Ethiopia has sufficient legislations that were intended to protect children from varies sorts of exploitation. But what is found as the main problem observed in here was the improper or insufficient enforcement of the legislations. And this finding of the study shows the existence of a serious gap between the laws in theory and their practical implementations by the authoritiesenchild laborThesis