Unravelling the Normative Underpinnings of Child Labor in Ghana: A Bottom-Up Study Among Hotspot Communities

Abstract
Increasingly, research points toward the need to identify the socio-cultural norms of child labor as a primary measure to understand the localized risk factors underpinning child labor and better inform interventions. In this study, we explored the social norms that underpin child labor through collaborative practice research interviews with major stakeholders (children, parents and community key informants) in two hubs of child labor within the cocoa and fishing sector in Ghana. The study showed norms of gender, informal apprenticeship, succession and sustenance of family business among the core normative underpinnings of child labor practices in the cocoa and fishing sector in Ghana.

Key factors
Parental work, Informality, Family Coaching, Legal framework, Law enforcement and monitoring.

Key outcomes
Child Labour, Social norms, attitudes towards child work/labour, Child participation and empowerment, Occupational safety and health