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Child labor: a critical discourse analysis

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Abstract

Child labor is a complex global phenomenon. Though poverty is widely accepted as the primary cause of child labor, there are many dimensions of the phenomenon that still remain to be explored. Very little attention has been given to the policies that drive efforts to address child labor and how they are framed. Of particular interest is how we determine who is a child, and the notions of childhood underpinning these policies. Less attention has been given to the relationships and power dynamics underlying the policy-making process that surrounds this discourse. A qualitative method, namely, critical discourse analysis (CDA) was used to examine the discursive construction of children and childhood in child labor discourse. Underlying power dynamics through the analysis of diverse child labor-related policies at the global (ILO), regional (OAU/AU), sub-regional (ECOWAS), global/sub-regional (Harkin-Engel Protocol), and local (Ghana) levels was explored. Findings revealed that homogenized and hegemonic trends are visible in child labor discourse. While the ILO's discourse on child labor was either reproduced or referenced in the other policies, there was generally a homogenized definition of children based on Western social constructions and views of children. Child labor policies were not fully cognizant or sensitive to local constructions and conceptions of how we define children and what we determine are appropriate roles at various ages. In particular reference to Ghana, the Government of Ghana's child labor policies did not reflect the sociological and cultural realities of the nation. Findings of the study also suggest that for some organizations and countries, especially in the Global South, political and economic considerations influenced whose voices were included in child labor policy creation. Critical discourse implications for social work education, policy analysis, practice and research are discussed.
Karikari, I. (2016). Child labor: A critical discourse analysis (doctoral
dissertation). Indiana University
Purdue University Indianapolis.
Links:
http://hdl.handle.net/1805/10482
http://dx.doi.org/10.7912/C2FK57
... The most common explanation of child labour that IPEC puts forward (i.e., work that deprives children from their childhoods) fundamentally involves two concepts -child and childhood (ILO 2004). How 'child' is defined and what childhood entails in a socio-cultural context are complex social functions of various factors that are continuously evolving (Karikari 2016;Takyi 2014). What characteristics distinguish an adult from a young child vary in terms of location, cultural attitudes, and time variables. ...
... What characteristics distinguish an adult from a young child vary in terms of location, cultural attitudes, and time variables. For instance, an individual's biological age is still not a prime factor in determining childhood in some societies (Karikari 2016;Takyi 2014). What a young child was expected to do during the Industrial Revolution in the UK, was different to today's societal values and norms (Cunningham 2000;Humphries 2010). ...
... Previous qualitative studies have also illustrated the importance of integrating children's views and engaging families in constructing the understanding of harmful child labour (Jijon 2020;Togunde and Weber 2007;Zhang et al. 2019). Karikari's (2016) critical discourse analysis of the worst forms of child labour points out that current policies are not cognizant or sensitive to local constructions and conceptions of appropriate roles of children at various ages. Jonah and Abebe (2019) argues that while the current abolitionist framework emphasizes children's right to education, the dichotomy is that most children support their schooling through their income. ...
Article
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The global response to child labour is based on the standards set by three major international conventions. This review examines the historical development of the conceptualizations of various forms of child labour, relevant views and perspectives, contemporary theoretical underpinnings, and policy suggestions. The emerging evidence shows that child labour incidences in all its forms have increased in many parts of the world, and the global target to eradicate child labour by 2025 seems unattainable. The evaluation indicates that the current global age-based abolitionist policy to fight child labour has lost some ground. The covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation and the worst forms of child labour have become even more widespread and deeply normalized in many contexts and communities. The current scholarship of child labour remains critically ignorant of the relevant societal and cultural norms. Contemporary theorists and empiricists emphasize on constructing knowledge with the children and families engaged in child labour and focusing on finding innovative community-led alternatives to the worst forms of child labour. Regulations, policies, and support programmes must recognize the economic contribution of working children and work towards the children's best interests.
... Child laborers are sometimes unable to finish their schooling due to demographic differences (Pelto 1995). The environment is an important aspect in any circumstance (Karikari 2016). Access to schooling is largely determined by environmental factors. ...
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Child labor is a prevalent issue in Bangladesh, depriving many children of educational opportunities. This study examines the impact of child labor on education. Apart from that, this study also explores various factors such as socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and psychological impacts. This study uses qualitative research methods cross sectional and the study was conducted using primary data. Interviews are conducted with focusing on ten teenagers, including nine boys and one girl. This study clarifies the points influencing the accessibility to education, which are the impacts of child labor. The findings shed light on the challenges in accessing education caused by child labor and can inform social development projects, NGOs, and government initiatives. This study concludes that the importance of emphasizing of collaboration among stakeholders to ensure universal access to quality education. It also suggests that the findings can guide future research and policy development to address child labor and improve educational accessibility.
... Child laborers are sometimes unable to finish their schooling due to demographic differences (Pelto 1995). The environment is an important aspect in any circumstance (Karikari 2016). Access to schooling is largely determined by environmental factors. ...
Article
Full-text available
Child labor is a prevalent issue in Bangladesh, depriving many children of educational opportunities. This study examines the impact of child labor on education. Apart from that, this study also explores various factors such as socio-cultural, economic, environmental, and psychological impacts. This study uses qualitative research methods cross sectional and the study was conducted using primary data. Interviews are conducted with focusing on ten teenagers, including nine boys and one girl. This study clarifies the points influencing the accessibility to education, which are the impacts of child labor. The findings shed light on the challenges in accessing education caused by child labor and can inform social development projects, NGOs, and government initiatives. This study concludes that the importance of emphasizing of collaboration among stakeholders to ensure universal access to quality education. It also suggests that the findings can guide future research and policy development to address child labor and improve educational accessibility. (Abstrak Pekerja anak merupakan masalah yang lazim di Bangladesh, sehingga banyak anak kehilangan kesempatan mendapatkan pendidikan. Studi ini mengkaji dampak pekerja anak terhadap pendidikan. Selain itu, penelitian ini juga mengeksplorasi berbagai faktor seperti dampak sosial budaya, ekonomi, lingkungan, dan psikologis. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kualitatif cross sectional dan penelitian dilakukan dengan menggunakan data primer. Wawancara dilakukan dengan fokus pada sepuluh remaja yang terdiri dari sembilan laki-laki dan satu perempuan. Kajian ini memperjelas hal-hal yang memengaruhi aksesibilitas terhadap pendidikan yang merupakan dampak dari pekerja anak. Temuan ini menyoroti tantangan dalam mengakses pendidikan yang disebabkan oleh pekerja anak dan dapat menjadi masukan bagi proyek pembangunan sosial, LSM, dan inisiatif pemerintah. Kajian ini menyimpulkan pentingnya menekankan kolaborasi antar pemangku kepentingan untuk menjamin akses universal terhadap pendidikan berkualitas. Hal ini juga menunjukkan bahwa temuan ini dapat memandu penelitian di masa depan dan pengembangan kebijakan untuk mengatasi pekerja anak dan meningkatkan aksesibilitas pendidikan.)
... Third, currently active international and national child labour policies and programs have generated a variety of discourses, opinions, and perspectives. Studies suggest that these policies have not adequately considered the voices of local communities, particularly those of families and children directly involved in child labour (Hoque, 2021b;Karikari, 2016). ...
Article
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Child labour remains widespread in the urban slums of Bangladesh. Empirical studies indicate that various local-level factors drive poor families and children to engage in child labour. However, the role of structural factors and environmental realities is underrepresented in the current scholarship. This investigation examined the role of these factors in normalizing child labour in the slum communities of Dhaka. The researcher adapted a socio-ecological model to develop a conceptual framework for collecting qualitative data from the slum communities of two recently urbanized areas of the city: Hazaribagh and Matuail. A five-month fieldwork project was carried out to conduct 40 semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions with parents and community members. The data analysis resulted in the following findings. A lack of access to schooling pushed many children into labour. The opportunities for children’s employment in the informal sector remained abundant, and the absence of documents complicated law enforcement. Due to inconsistent adult income, many families are involved in child labour to increase their household income. Local employers chose children over adults for certain occupations due to their low wages and easy-to-control nature. Natural disasters, climate change, and family difficulties drove a large number of families to these slums, and informal employment opportunities for both adults and children drew them there. The shortage of playgrounds and specialized schooling shaped children’s tendency to work more. All together, child labour has become a cultural reality. Policies and interventions aiming to reduce child labour must influence these structural factors and provide support to families and children.
... In general, children in Africa participate from a very young age in domestic and field activities (Gnanou, 2017:85); indigenous cultures consider child work as part of household production which serve the purpose of preparing the child for his future adult role (Bass, 2004). Socio-cultural norms not only provide the meaning of what a child is and what childhood implies (Karikari, 2016) but also convey the conception of child labour as a means of informal apprenticeship transmitting valuable skills (Bass, 2004;Bourdillon and Mutambwa, 2014;Kielland and Tovo, 2006;Krauss, 2016). This apprenticeship relationship between the child and his mentor can in some contexts drift towards exploitation (Kielland and Tovo, 2006:75-88;Krauss, 2016). ...
... Third, the very definition of HCL uses the phrase "potentially harmful", which is mostly a judgmental call; and often determined by cultural views of children's socialization. Scholars focusing on socio-cultural contexts of child labor emphasize looking at harmful child labor from the viewpoint of children, families and communities (Takyi, 2014;Karikari, 2016;Radfar et al., 2018). Emerging evidence indicates that poor families and communities tend to overlook potential harms and risks that working children may experience while engaging in harmful child labor (Hoque, 2021). ...
Conference Paper
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Abstract: Bangladesh is a signatory of the International Labor Organization’s two landmark conventions on child labor – No.138 on Minimum Age and No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. The Bangladesh Labor Act, 2006 prohibits the employment of any child in child labor’s worst forms, including hazardous ones. To eliminate hazardous child labor (HCL) from the country, the government published a list of 38 activities/processes as hazardous to children. However, emerging data suggest that HCL still exists widely in the country, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation. The review of existing evidence and relevant reports evinces that the country’s current policies inadequately address the status and remedies of HCL. Based on the author’s desk review, observational experience and visual work, this paper evaluates the competence of the hazardous labor list and current legal protections for children. The findings suggest that lack of implementation, reporting and monitoring opens the floodgate for employers to informally employ children in hazardous work and take advantage of the legal lacunae. Destitute families and street children lack citizenship documents and become easy victims of exploitative employment. The analysis informs that the country’s existing legislative framework and protection policies are critically inadequate to cease HCL in urban areas.
... Child labor is a complex phenomenon in developing countries. While some have argued that the use of children in agricultural work is part of their socioeconomic development, others are of the view that child labor cannot be a substitute for child work [1,2]. The UNICEF [3] convention tolerates child work but it does not promote child labor of all forms. ...
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This paper is based on a study aimed at identifying and analysing institutional arrangements that are responsible for stifling anti-child labour actors’ intervention actions for monitoring and prevention of child labour in small-scale gold mining sites in Kahama and Igunga districts, Tanzania. The study employed a qualitative research method and data were gathered from a sample size of 73 respondents drawn from Kahama and Igunga districts through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs) and documentary reviews. Two categories of institutional arrangements that are responsible for stifling actions taken by anti-child labour actors to control and stop child labour in small-scale gold mining sites were identified. These include formal and informal institutional arrangements evolving from within the households, community and local governance systems. This paper proposes that there is a need for anti-child labour actors and policy makers to develop area-based policy interventions that effectively address these multi-tiered institutional arrangements rooted within the household and community levels for successful monitoring and abolition of child labour in small-scale gold mining communities.
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