Abstract:
This study was to analyze and identifythedeterminants ofparticipation in Child Labour in the Case of Ambo Town, West Shewa ZoneOromia regional state, Ethiopia. The objective of the study were to identify the socio-demographic characteristics of household on child laborers, to assess the factors that determines children decision to participation in work, school or a combination of them and to analyze the nature of employment and working environment of child laborers. The study conducted using 103 household and 80 child labourers’ respondents. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by using survey method and focus group discussion. Using primary data collected from selected kebeles of the town via structured questionnaire, and analyzed with the use of both descriptive and econometric tools of analysis.The findings of the study indicate that nearly all the child workers that participated in the study were with disadvantaged background involving coming from poor families, some being orphaned and having migrated from other parts of Oromia as well as from neighboring town. And also the study finding showed that child workers that participated in the study were normally working for long hours, on average 75(93.8%) for full time day under conditions deprived of meaningful educational opportunities that could open up for them better future. In generally, the findings show that incidence of child labor depends on age of child, education level of a child; household size, household income, parents education, household marital status and household occupation.Hence, the majority of the child labourers in this study found either illiterate or school drop outs, therefore policy measures that resort child workers from work to school should be put in place so as to make public schools well equipped and attractive to children and their parents.
