Rural female children and youth informing policy and practice: Life stories of unmet need in Côte d'Ivoire
Location
3030
Format Type
Paper
Format Type
Paper
Start Date
January 2016
End Date
January 2016
Abstract
Child labor is a complex phenomenon. Despite the 2012 National Action Plan against Trafficking, Exploitation and Child Labor, Côte d’Ivoire, the policy environment continues to lack in terms of compulsory education and enforcement (U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2012). The migration of rural female children and adolescents for work as domestic help in Africa, remains under documented and poorly understood. This paper is based on a purposive mixed method study, in Côte d’Ivoire. Emphasis will be placed on qualitative analysis of the life stories of girls and young women. While the study participants were initially engaged and connected with families to continue their education, their pathway in domestic work and the implications to their lives in Abidijan, are highlighted. The initial findings support structural and systematic risks, relational risks, and personal risks, associated with child labor (Liborio & Ungar, 2010). Thematic analysis of interviews with young women who migrated to Abidijian will be highlighted. The implications to health and social service providers, policy development, advocacy, reproductive and sexual health and protection of childrens’ rights in terms of intersectionality with gender and culture will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the role of qualitative research as part of informing policy and practice
- Identify the role of gender and culture through the life stories of the study participants.
- Examine the structural/systematic risks, relational risks and personal risks related to rural female children and adolescent migration to urban environments.
- Describe at least two risk factors such as stigma, breakdown of social supports and exposure to violence that create an environment for relational risk among the study participants.
- Describe one strategy for policy development responding to the intersectionality of compulsory education, child labor, and reproductive and sexual health.
Rural female children and youth informing policy and practice: Life stories of unmet need in Côte d'Ivoire
3030
Child labor is a complex phenomenon. Despite the 2012 National Action Plan against Trafficking, Exploitation and Child Labor, Côte d’Ivoire, the policy environment continues to lack in terms of compulsory education and enforcement (U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2012). The migration of rural female children and adolescents for work as domestic help in Africa, remains under documented and poorly understood. This paper is based on a purposive mixed method study, in Côte d’Ivoire. Emphasis will be placed on qualitative analysis of the life stories of girls and young women. While the study participants were initially engaged and connected with families to continue their education, their pathway in domestic work and the implications to their lives in Abidijan, are highlighted. The initial findings support structural and systematic risks, relational risks, and personal risks, associated with child labor (Liborio & Ungar, 2010). Thematic analysis of interviews with young women who migrated to Abidijian will be highlighted. The implications to health and social service providers, policy development, advocacy, reproductive and sexual health and protection of childrens’ rights in terms of intersectionality with gender and culture will be discussed.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss the role of qualitative research as part of informing policy and practice
- Identify the role of gender and culture through the life stories of the study participants.
- Examine the structural/systematic risks, relational risks and personal risks related to rural female children and adolescent migration to urban environments.
- Describe at least two risk factors such as stigma, breakdown of social supports and exposure to violence that create an environment for relational risk among the study participants.
- Describe one strategy for policy development responding to the intersectionality of compulsory education, child labor, and reproductive and sexual health.
Comments
Breakout Session D