Publication:
Child Labor in Africa : Issues and Challenges

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (344.4 KB)
4,911 downloads
English Text (15.56 KB)
160 downloads
Date
2001-11
ISSN
Published
2001-11
Editor(s)
Abstract
How serious is the issue of child labor in Sub-Saharan Africa? Many African experts consider it to be no problem, while others believe it to be more serious than anywhere else in the world. A cursory glance at the statistics supports either view. ILO data indicate that more than 40 percent of African children work--almost twice as many as in Asia. On the other hand, household surveys suggest that over 95 percent of child labor takes place in and around private households. African society places a high value on children working at home or the family farm. This is not seen as "harmful" or as a welfare issue--a view opposed by many Western countries. This article explores the normative and factual basis for the different perceptions of child labor in Africa, and provides grounds effective social protection policies. Both welfare economic research and findings of sociological and anthropological studies have been reviewed.
Link to Data Set
Citation
Andvig, Jens; Canagarajah, Sudharshan; Kielland, Anne. 2001. Child Labor in Africa : Issues and Challenges. Africa Region Findings & Good Practice Infobriefs; No. 194. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/9791 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Addressing Child Labor in the Workplace and Supply Chain
    (International Finance Corporation, Washington, D.C., 2002-06) International Finance Corporation
    The note seeks to provide companies who are interested in addressing the topic of child labor with a range of basic, good practice approaches that other businesses have successfully applied in addressing the issue of harmful child labor in their workplaces and those of their vendors and suppliers. According to International Labour Organization (ILO) statistics published in May 2002, there are an estimated 352 million children aged 5-17 engaged in some form of economic activity around the world. Of these 352 million, 246 million are either (i) below their country's minimum age for employment; (ii) working in occupations that jeopardize the physical, mental or moral well-being of a child; or (iii) working as slaves, prostitutes or bonded laborers. Action against harmful child labor tends to be most effective when it involves a range of stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as civil society. Government has a role to play in drafting and enforcing laws and providing educational opportunities. Civil society performs a valuable function by filling gaps in government services and by lending a voice to community concerns. Companies are increasingly working together with government and civil society to address complex issues such as child labor. This note does not constitute policy or contain policy requirements; rather its purpose is to share learning and experiences with a private sector audience. Specifically, the note addresses what constitutes harmful child labor; its Implications for the private sector; how to address the issue in the workplace; how to respond when harmful child labor is detected; how to manage supply chain risks; targeting corporation vendor compliance. The note provides a case study on eliminating harmful child labor in the carpet industry, the Obeetee Approach, and examines harmful child labor, forms and effects. For more publications on IFC Sustainability please visit www.ifc.org/sustainabilitypublications.
  • Publication
    Bulgaria Early Childhood Development : SABER Country Report 2013
    (Washington, DC, 2013) World Bank
    This report presents an analysis of the early childhood development (ECD) programs and policies that affect young children in Bulgaria and recommendations to move forward. This report is part of a series of reports prepared by the World Bank using the systems approach for better education results (SABER)-ECD framework and includes analysis of early learning, health, nutrition, and social and child protection policies and interventions in Bulgaria, along with regional and international comparisons. The Government of Bulgaria (GoB) recognizes the critical importance of ECD through the range of national laws and regulations in place to promote the provision of adequate early childhood interventions. The present SABER ECD analysis is intended to identify achievements, as well as gaps, in Bulgarian ECD policies and programs in hopes of informing the improvement of the existing ECD system.
  • Publication
    Human Trafficking : A Brief Overview
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2009-12) Makisaka, Megumi
    Millions of men, women and children are victims of human trafficking for sexual, forced labor and other forms of exploitation worldwide. The human and economic costs of this take an immense toll on individuals and communities. By conservative estimates, the cost of trafficking in terms of underpayment of wages and recruiting fees is over $20 billion. The costs to human capital are probably impossible to quantify. The problem of trafficking cuts across a range of development issues, from poverty to social inclusion, to justice and rule of law issues, and thus has relevance for practitioners throughout the development community. This note provides a brief overview on the issues of human trafficking, which can be used as a quick reference for the task team leaders, sector managers, directors, and their clients at the World Bank Group. This note will first provide a definition of human trafficking and the scope of the problem, and then summarize the regional trends of trafficking patterns. This is followed by a discussion of the key actors in the anti-trafficking movement and the role played by development partners in preventing human trafficking. The final section offers some potential orientations for the World Bank Group to further engage this issue in its operations.
  • Publication
    Armenia Early Childhood Development : SABER Country Report 2012
    (Washington, DC, 2012) World Bank
    This report presents an analysis of the early childhood development (ECD) programs and policies that affect young children in Armenia and recommendations to move forward. This report is part of a series of reports prepared by the World Bank using the systems approach for better education results (SABER)-ECD framework and includes analysis of early learning, health, nutrition, and social and child protection policies and interventions in Armenia, along with regional and international comparisons. The national program on the protection of children's rights for 2004-2015 is a multi-sectoral ECD policy in Armenia that comprises the education, health, and social protection sectors, and serves as an overarching umbrella to guarantee access to essential ECD services.
  • Publication
    Sierra Leone : Social Protection Assessment
    (Washington, DC, 2013-06-14) World Bank
    The objective of this assessment is to respond to the government's call for analytical work to guide the development of an improved social protection system. Its goal is to help the government to put the social protection policy into action and to provide an analytic underpinning for the social protection pillar of the Agenda for Prosperity. The basis of the assessment is provided by the concept of social risk management (SRM), which was developed by the World Bank in the early 2000s, and the assessment uses the lifecycle (or life-course) analysis. Chapter one discusses the main risks facing families in Sierra Leone and the conceptual framework of this assessment. Chapter two identifies the country's main vulnerable groups, discusses the principal risks faced by these groups and by households in general, and estimates the number of individuals or households that are at risk. Chapter three reviews the principal programs that are already in place to address the risks that have been identified. Chapter four assesses the adequacy of the social protection system by analyzing: spending; program coverage, gaps, and overlaps; benefit generosity; targeting mechanisms and beneficiary incidence; cost-effectiveness; monitoring and evaluation; and institutional arrangements and participation. Chapter five contains recommendations. The complexity of building social protection systems should not be underestimated. It entails many different actors, preferences, programs, policies, instruments, institutions, and financing, and it often involves difficult trade-offs. The pace at which any social protection system is developed must therefore be in line with the country's institutional and financial conditions and capabilities.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21) Luna-Bazaldua, Diego; Levin, Victoria; Liberman, Julia; Gala, Priyal Mukesh
    This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.
  • Publication
    World Development Report 2006
    (Washington, DC, 2005) World Bank
    This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.
  • Publication
    The Journey Ahead
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-31) Bossavie, Laurent; Garrote Sánchez, Daniel; Makovec, Mattia
    The Journey Ahead: Supporting Successful Migration in Europe and Central Asia provides an in-depth analysis of international migration in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) and the implications for policy making. By identifying challenges and opportunities associated with migration in the region, it aims to inform a more nuanced, evidencebased debate on the costs and benefits of cross-border mobility. Using data-driven insights and new analysis, the report shows that migration has been an engine of prosperity and has helped address some of ECA’s demographic and socioeconomic disparities. Yet, migration’s full economic potential remains untapped. The report identifies multiple barriers keeping migration from achieving its full potential. Crucially, it argues that policies in both origin and destination countries can help maximize the development impacts of migration and effectively manage the economic, social, and political costs. Drawing from a wide range of literature, country experiences, and novel analysis, The Journey Ahead presents actionable policy options to enhance the benefits of migration for destination and origin countries and migrants themselves. Some measures can be taken unilaterally by countries, whereas others require close bilateral or regional coordination. The recommendations are tailored to different types of migration— forced displacement as well as high-skilled and low-skilled economic migration—and from the perspectives of both sending and receiving countries. This report serves as a comprehensive resource for governments, development partners, and other stakeholders throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the richness and diversity of migration experiences provide valuable insights for policy makers in other regions of the world.
  • Publication
    Argentina Country Climate and Development Report
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank Group
    The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.
  • Publication
    Lebanon Economic Monitor, Fall 2022
    (Washington, DC, 2022-11) World Bank
    The economy continues to contract, albeit at a somewhat slower pace. Public finances improved in 2021, but only because spending collapsed faster than revenue generation. Testament to the continued atrophy of Lebanon’s economy, the Lebanese Pound continues to depreciate sharply. The sharp deterioration in the currency continues to drive surging inflation, in triple digits since July 2020, impacting the poor and vulnerable the most. An unprecedented institutional vacuum will likely further delay any agreement on crisis resolution and much needed reforms; this includes prior actions as part of the April 2022 International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff-level agreement (SLA). Divergent views among key stakeholders on how to distribute the financial losses remains the main bottleneck for reaching an agreement on a comprehensive reform agenda. Lebanon needs to urgently adopt a domestic, equitable, and comprehensive solution that is predicated on: (i) addressing upfront the balance sheet impairments, (ii) restoring liquidity, and (iii) adhering to sound global practices of bail-in solutions based on a hierarchy of creditors (starting with banks’ shareholders) that protects small depositors.