Bonded Child Labour in South Asia: Building the Evidence Base for DFID Programming and Policy Engagement

This report examines trends, drivers and what types of interventions have been most effective

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published
5 March 2018
Country:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Document Type:
Research Paper
Theme:
Governance and Conflict, Social Change
Authors:
Haythornthwaite, Shavana, Olsen, Wendy

Abstract

This report was commissioned by the UK Department for International Development to provide evidence for DFID to design a business case for a new Asia regional programme on child labour.

DFID’s Asia Regional Team had identified bonded child labour as a particular problem in South Asian countries, which this report confirms. Research for the report was guided by 3 central questions:

  1. What are the current trends and status of bonded child labour in South Asia?
  2. What are the main drivers of bonded child labour in different country contexts?
  3. What types of interventions have been most effective in reducing bonded child labour?

The research drew on evidence from several South Asian countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This research was funded under DFID’s Policy Research Fund

Citation

Shavana Haythornthwaite and Wendy Olsen. (2018) Bonded Child Labour in South Asia: Building the Evidence Base for DFID Programming and Policy Engagement. University of Manchester, 80p

Bonded Child Labour in South Asia: Building the Evidence Base for DFID Programming and Policy Engagement

Published 5 March 2018
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