Child work and labour in Ethiopia: literature review and policy implications

This chapter aims to provide a preliminary bibliographical resource, an initial critical review of the literature, new insights on child work and labour in Ethiopia, and suggestions for future lines of research. The first part considers the different disciplinary and methodological approaches used to study the issues; we suggest that the various disciplinary lenses through which child work and labour have been studied result in a fragmented rather than an integrated picture. Moreover, we argue that there is a dichotomy between quantitative approaches, many of which have focused on rural surveys and the linkages between child work and education, and qualitative approaches that have concentrated on urban areas and vulnerable children. The second part briefly reviews findings from quantitative research notably on the prevalence of child work and its distribution, children’s time use and their contribution to the household economy, the impacts of government rural development and food security programmes on child work, and the implications of work for children’s health and wellbeing. The third part considers key findings from qualitative research on the work that children do, in particular that of children at risk focusing on the main categories studied, and discusses the value and meaning of work and changing work norms. The fourth part considers the policy context, international and national legal frameworks, policies and action plans. The fifth part considers interventions within the country to address child labour. The final part draws overall conclusions and identifies research gaps

Social justice and youth transitions – understanding young people’s lives in rural Andhra Pradesh, India and Ethiopia

This chapter draws on research with young people in Andhra Pradesh, India, and Ethiopia, to explore the role of place in the reproduction of social inequalities. The chapter has two aims: first, to shift the focus away from urban-centric assumptions that tend to dominate the study of youth transitions and, second, to contest traditional conceptualizations of youth transition found in much global policy discourse. The chapter emphasizes the ways in which boundaries between childhood, youth, and adulthood are blurred, by exploring young people’s past and present experiences of agricultural work and their anticipated futures. Using a longitudinal approach drawing on two case studies, the chapter explores questions raised by the structural poverty that young people in rural areas have experienced. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the interdependence of family members in relation to roles and responsibilities within the household and in subsistence farming. The chapter concludes that the raising of young people’s aspirations may not only lead to expectations that qualifications acquired through formal schooling will lift them out of poverty but may also encourage a devaluing of farming as a viable livelihood. Yet, there are no mechanisms for young people to get jobs in fragile economic situations. This raises questions about equity and social justice