Do Child Labourers Come from the Poorest? Evidence from NCLS and 64-Village Census Plus, PRCPB Working Paper No. 11

Abstract

This paper explores whether child labourers come from, not only the poor, but also the poorest households in Bangladesh or not. The paper also tries to explain what determines the participation of children in labour force. A comparison has also been made between macro statistics and micro survey in this respect. Data used in this paper are obtained from the National Child Labour Survey 2002-03 as well as the 64-village census plus survey 2005 conducted under the Programme for Research on Chronic Poverty in Bangladesh (Phase II). A comparison between the National Child Labour Survey 1995-96 and 2002-03 has also been provided to analyze the nature and extent of changes in child labour over time.

The paper observes that there have been significant changes in some of the important aspects of child population (e.g., gender differentials, occupational choice, rural urban differentials, schooling options, etc.) in the country and their participation in the workforce. The paper also observes that higher proportion of child labour comes from land poor and the poorest households. Household's education and occupational choice also matter for child labour.

Citation

Do Child Labourers Come from the Poorest?Evidence from NCLS and 64-Village Census Plus, PRCPB Working Paper No. 11, Programme for Research on Chronic Poverty in Bangladesh (PRCPB)/ Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC), Manchester, UK, 21 pp.

Do Child Labourers Come from the Poorest? Evidence from NCLS and 64-Village Census Plus, PRCPB Working Paper No. 11

Published 1 January 2006