Child labor in Sud, Haiti: A regression analysis

• In Event: Poster Session: Barriers to education in conflict, post-conflict and developing nation contexts

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between child labor and household socioeconomic status in Haiti. The data come from a household level questionnaire conducted in the Sud Department of Haiti in 2011. The data are representative of households in rural areas of the department. The main population of interest consisted of children ages 5 to 17
who were involved in agriculture. The sample includes 999 interviews with adult household members and 1,414 interviews with children.

Around half of children reported working in agriculture in the week preceding the survey. Agriculture in Haiti is highly labor intensive. There are very low levels of mechanization and use of improved seeds, fertilizer, and pesticides. Agricultural research and extension services are limited, and few farmers have access to these resources. Plot sizes are small and fragmented, resulting in inefficiency. As a result, there is a significant need for inexpensive or free labor, which corresponds to a large proportion of children working.

This quantitative study uses regression analysis to examine which household and child level characteristics were significantly associated with increased time spent working. The theoretical foundation is human capital theory. The regression analysis revealed that, controlling for other variables, children tended to work more as they got older. Children living away from their parents (orphaned or fostered) tended to work more. Having more wealth was associated with more hours per work. There are several hypothesized mechanisms for this relationship. Considering that most rural families in the department are disadvantaged when compared to urban families, even the families in our sample with greater levels of wealth experienced financial challenges. Thus the families with more wealth may still have needed child labor and might have been better able to utilize this labor through greater access to social networks (and work opportunities). Additionally, wealthier families are more likely to have land or animals requiring labor.

Child work in agriculture is a concern for several reasons. These children may be exposed to pesticides, sharp tools, harsh conditions, and long hours. According to Haiti’s Labor Code, the minimum age for work in industrial, agricultural, or commercial enterprises is 15, and children ages 15 to 18 must obtain work authorization from the Ministry of Labor to be employed. Therefore some of their agricultural work may be illegal.

A final, and significant, problem with children working in agriculture is that it may prevent their attending school or divert their time and energy from educational pursuits. It is this consideration which makes this study significant to the field of international education. Inadequate schooling is a significant concern in Haiti, where in the 2002 to 2003 school year, only around half of elementary school aged children were enrolled in school, and less than a third of these children persisted to the fifth grade. Haiti is the western hemisphere’s poorest and least-developed country and has the greatest income inequality of the hemisphere. Roughly 80 percent of its population lives below the poverty line, and 54 percent in abject poverty (on $2 per day or less). Given this context, it is critically important that the next generation receive the best education possible in order to continue the country’s development.

Author

• Holly Koogler, Johns Hopkins