Conceptualization of Child Labour: Contemporary Understanding and Gaps

Abstract

Although it is estimated that over 38.24 million children are involved in child labour in sub-Saharan Africa, recent evidence indicates minor improvements in reducing the prevalence of child labour. These improvements are partly attributed to efforts by international, multinational and local child welfare organizations to promote communities' understanding and acceptance of child labour as an undesirable activity. Knowing child labour and accepting it to be undesirable is the crux for preventing and reducing child labour. This study involved interviews with 50 community members (40 parents and 10 community leaders) across four fishing and cocoa communities in Ghana to unravel contemporary contextual understandings of child labour in Ghana to inform targeted intervention to accelerate prevention. The study revealed (1) the nature of work, (2) hours spent on the work and (3) age appropriateness, as the three foci of definition. In addition to some divergence, there were nuances in definitions, including child fatigue, child capability, child work versus child labour and the act of sending children to the farm for supervision, which could negatively promote child labour. Gaps, including a lack of understanding of child labour and education and the adverse impact of child labour, were identified.