Parental perceptions of the nature of child labour in rural and urban Ghana : Cultural versus economic necessity

There is nearly universal consensus that child labour is harmful to the development of the child, however, widespread contention exists on whether child labour is cultural or economic necessity. This paper aimed to ascertain parental perceptions of the nature of child labour in rural and urban Ghana. The sample size of this study was 60 participants, all of whom were parents. Participants included: government officials; NGO representatives; and both parents whose children were involved in child labour, and parents whose children were not. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents (10) and stakeholders (10). and Focus groups (30); and participant observations (10) were also utilised. A purposive sampling technique was employed across rural and urban areas in Ghana. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. A framework approach was utilised as the main qualitative data analysis method. Parents in the rural areas indicated that the nature of child labour is cultural because children are not working because of economic necessity but for cultural reasons. On the other hand, children engage in child labour in the urban area for economic necessity since child labour is a very important component of the local economy. Understanding the socio-cultural and economic factors that drive child labour is necessary to design and execute the most suitable mechanisms for intervention and prevention.