Peer-reviewed article
Examining Child Labour Activities in South Africa
Derek Yu, Simbarashe Murozvi, Clinton Herwel ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study analysed national survey data from South Africa to understand child labour activities and their causes. Children engaged in child labour were mostly African rural residents not attending school, from households with few employed adults. They spent four to five hours per week on unskilled work, primarily to earn pocket money and help their families survive. The research found that households with more employed adults had lower rates of child labour, though this relationship was only statistically significant in 2015.
Key points
- Children in child labour were predominantly African, rural residents not attending school
- Children worked four to five hours per week in unskilled elementary occupations
- Main reasons for child labour were earning pocket money and assisting households financially
- Households with greater numbers of employed adults had lower child labour incidence
- Child labour is linked to poverty, unemployment, and low household income
Limitations
This is descriptive analysis of survey data that cannot establish causal relationships or explain why employment of adults protects against child labour. The study does not evaluate any intervention or provide information about the severity, types of harm, or long-term outcomes for children in labour.
Abstract
Abstract Background South Africa is a developing country characterised by high unemployment, poverty and inequality. Thus, it is possible child members of households are exploited to help the households survive financially. Objective This study investigated child labour activities in South Africa, and examined the impact of various personal- and household-level factors (including labour market status of adult members) on child labour incidence. Methods Data from the Survey of Activities of Young People (SAYP) released by Statistics South Africa was analysed to derive descriptive statistics relating to child labour activities. Probit regressions were also conducted to investigate the impact of various factors on child labour probability. Results Children involved in child labour were predominantly African rural residents who did not attend schools at the time of the survey, and came from households with only one employed adult member on average. These children spent four to five hours per week on economic activities in unskilled elementary occupations, and the key reasons for involving in these activities were to earn pocket money for themselves and assist their families. Regarding the results of probit regressions, children coming from households with a greater number of employed adult members were less likely to be in child labour, but the result was only statistically significant in 2015. Conclusions Child labour does exist in South Africa, particularly amongst households with a low number of employed adult members. Numerous socio-economic problems (such as poverty and adult unemployment) would need to be addressed to fully eradicate child labour incidence.