| dc.description.abstract | This study seeks to understand the notion of child labour in African context- what it is, its
manifestation and how t ^ local community in Malakisi tobacco growing areas in Bungoma
County perceive and understand it. This is a departure from most previous studies in Kenya that
have largely conceptualized child labour from international standards.
The study applies grounded theory to thcmatize the perspectives collected from local community
about their views on child labour. The study utilizes a sample size of 152 respondents in various
categories of sampled units including individual children, household heads, institutions (schools,
administrative units and NGOs) and FGDs. The study argues that there is a conflict between the
ways local community defines a child versus the definitions provided by international
conventions. While local community views a child as a young person who has not undergone the
rites of passage and been inducted into adulthood, international conventions define a child in
terms of calendar years. The differences in the definitions have become challenges to the efforts
towards eradicating child labour.
The study found that majority o f the respondents view child labour as a form o f socialization,
source of livelihood, source of social security and form o f employment. While few of the
respondents view child labour as economically exploitative and a situation that denies children
privileges of childhood. The diversity in the definition of a “child” is influenced by socio
economic factors at the household level and cultural expectation. The study recommends
integration of local community’s values into public policy making processes | en_US |
