Education or Work: The Perceptions of Petra Locals about Tourism Child Labor

Abstract

With the significant economic benefits of tourism to locals of Petra; many children are dropping out of school to work in this sector, which is perceived as being advantageous for the different languages and working skills these children learn, as well as gaining money. This research aims at exploring the perceptions of local community in Petra about child labor using a qualitative approach; structured interviews were done with forty six individuals working at the site, random purposeful sampling was used to ensure the credibility even with the small sample size. The results revealed that respondents were aware of both positive and negative consequences of child labor; this is not the case though for related legislative and educational issues. Recommendations were given to enhance the awareness of children and local communities about the consequences of child labor, also actions that can be taken by formal authorities to mitigate its negative impacts.