Determinants of Child Labour in Cameroon: A Bivariate Probit Model Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to highlight the determinants of child labour for children aged 5 to 17 in Cameroon. The study uses microeconomic data from the third Cameroonian household survey (ECAMIII). The bivariate probit model reveals that the risks for a child who works are high if he does not go to school, he is fatherless or both parents are dead, the head of the family is not educated, he works in the agricultural sector, the standard of living of the household is low and he resides in rural areas. The study suggests that the issue of child exploitation in Cameroon is more global and necessarily falls within an economic and social development policy. From this perspective, the strategy to fight the particularly harmful exploitation of child labour should be cross-sectional because of the various dimensions of the phenomenon. Contribution/ Originality: This study contributes to the existing literature by questioning the relationship between financial poverty and child labour from a bivariate probit model on investigation data in Cameroon. This study shows the multidimensional feature of explanatory factors at the helm of child labour. 1. INTRODUCTION According to estimates by the International Labour Office (2002) 1 , there are over 190 million economically employed children aged 5-17 years in the world. These children are generally involved in agriculture, industry and services. In Africa, as in most developing countries, this phenomenon is also very preponderant. Nearly 50 million children aged 5-17 years are economically employed in sub-Saharan Africa, according to ILO estimates in 2006. This early employment of children is to the detriment of their education, For the case of Cameroon for example, we note that among young people (10-17 years), the highest activity rates are observed in regions where Gross Enrolment Ratios (GER) in primary education are the lowest. This is the case, for example, in the Far North region 1 In the report resulting from the international labour conference held in Geneva in 2002, the International Labour Office (ILO) called for "a future without child labour" and for the effective abolition of this phenomenon to be achieved. "One of the most pressing imperatives of our time" (ILO, 2002). Early child labour could indeed compromise their physical and mental development and, at the national level, reduce the capacity to accumulate human capital (Anker, 2000; Ravallion & Wodon, 2000). The fight to make it disappear therefore mobilizes international organizations (ILO, UNICEF, World Bank), non-governmental organizations as well as national public authorities (Dumas & Lambert, 2008). Despite these repeated efforts, child labour persists. Recent estimates show that around 121 million children aged 5 to 14 (a rate of 9.9%) are currently working worldwide (Diallo, Étienne, & Mehran, 2013). The situation in Africa south of the Sahara is particularly worrying because, according to the same source, 21.7% of children of this age group work there.

Pengaruh Karakteristik Sosiodemografi Kepala Rumah Tangga dan Anak Terhadap Kecenderungan Anak Terlibat dalam Pekerjaan Berbahaya di Sektor Pertanian: Analisis Data SAKERNAS

“…KRT adalah orang yang bertanggung jawab terhadap kebutuhan bahkan keputusan dalam rumah tangga tersebut. Pekerja anak dengan KRT perempuan cenderung lebih besar peluangnya (Adeoye et al, 2017;Bikoue, 2021;Gaetano et al, 2016). Namun menurut Abou (2014) di Côte d'Ivoire, Afrika, pekerja anak perempuan mempunyai peluang lebih besar pada rumah tangga dengan KRT perempuan.…”

“…Namun menurut Abou (2014) di Côte d'Ivoire, Afrika, pekerja anak perempuan mempunyai peluang lebih besar pada rumah tangga dengan KRT perempuan. Namun pengaruh pendidikan KRT dianggap lebih penting dalam menurunkan peluang meningkatnya pekerja anak (Abou, 2014;Agbonlahor et al, 2007;Bikoue, 2021;Dasgupta, n.d.;Gaetano et al, 2016;Krutikova, 2009;Sahu, 2013). Hal ini terkait dengan keputusan dalam rumah tangga yang diambil oleh KRT.…”

“…KRT yang berpendidikan tinggi cenderung lebih berinvestasi pada pendidikan anak (FAO, 2020) sehingga tidak melibatkan anak dalam pekerjaan terutama yang berbahaya. Karakteristik lainnya dari KRT seperti pekerjaan juga berpengaruh terhadap peluang penurunan pekerja anak (Abou, 2014;Agbonlahor et al, 2007;Bikoue, 2021;Gaetano et al, 2016). Didukung oleh keadaan rumah tangga, seperti pendapatan, besarnya keluarga juga dapat berpengaruh terhadap keputusan anak berpartisipasi dalam pekerjaan (Abou, 2014;Admassie, 2002;Agbonlahor et al, 2007;Sahoo, 2021).…”

“…Keterlibatan anak dalam pekerjaan sebagai pekerja anak tentunya dapat memengaruhi partisipasi sekolah anak. Sehingga peningkatan partisipasi sekolah anak dapat menurunkan peluang anak terlibat sebagai pekerja anak (Abou, 2014;Bikoue, 2021;Gaetano et al, 2016;Kazmi, 2015;Sahu, 2013). Namun pada rumah tangga tertentu terutama pada rumah tangga berpenghasilan rendah, walaupun anak terus bersekolah namun peluang anak sambil bekerja juga meningkat (Abou, 2014).…”