Perceptions of the community towards child labour in lusaka urban.

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the perception of the community towards child labor in Lusaka urban. This was in the hope of finding relevant interventions to reduce the incidences of child labor. Literature review included studies on child labour in Zambia, the laws of Zambia on the rights of a child, child labour reports in the sub-Saharan region and international studies on child labour at large.A descriptive, cross sectional study was used. The study subjects were picked using simple random technique from Chibolya and Kanyama shanty compounds. The sample size was fifty adults and it included both sexes. A structured interview schedule was used to collect data. The subjects were interviewed in their homes. For the respondents who could not understand English, the interview schedule was translated in the local language in order to increase understanding of the questions. Data analysis was done manually using data master sheets, frequency tables, and cross tabulations to ascertain relationships between variables of interest. The results of the study revealed that most respondents (84%) had heard about child labour. However, about 78% of the respondents were ignorant about labour laws. Knowledge about organizations dealing with child labour was low and stood at 32% of the respondents. The majority of the respondents (92%) were aware of the consequences of child labour. The majority of respondents (74%) were ignorant about tradition and customs that contributed to child labour. The study established that the majority of respondents (58%) were unable to meet their family needs. Most of the respondents (72.4%) were involved in selling merchandize to supplement family income. The study further revealed that the majority of the respondents (76.4%) with primary education had low level awareness about child labour. The majority of respondents (58.8%) who were self employed had low level awareness of child labour. The majority of the respondents (68.8%) who were above 50 years old could not engage children in labour.