CHILD LABOR AND HOUSEHOLD SURVIVAL STRATEGIES IN WEST AFRICA

Abstract

Few of the world’s social ills arouse such unified opposition as child labor. When we learn that children are sewing soccer balls instead of studying, we are appalled. We shudder when we learn that children are sold into indentured servitude to knot rugs for 10-to-14 hour days in poorly lit workshops. International media attention is sparked when sweatshops are exposed that use children to make clothing for The Gap or shoes for Nike. In general, our understanding of this social problem has been clouded by moral outrage and the consequent clandestine nature of child labor. This partly explains the dearth of effective strategies to end child labor. While there is increasing support to end child labor, there is no consensus on how or where to focus our resources. This research provides a window on what child labor means for children and their households so that we may better understand some alternatives to it.

Citation

Bass, L.E. (2003), "CHILD LABOR AND HOUSEHOLD SURVIVAL STRATEGIES IN WEST AFRICA", Sociological Studies of Children and Youth (Sociological Studies of Children and Youth, Vol. 9), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 127-148. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1537-4661(03)09008-1