THE DYNAMICS OF CHILD LABOR IN SINDH: LINKING INCENTIVE- BASED SCHOOLING, FINANCE-GENERATING REFORMS, AND EDUCATED HOUSEHOLD ENDORSEMENT OF CHILD LABOR

Abstract

This research aimed to understand how incentive-based schooling, finance generating reforms and households with educated members endorsed child labor. However, notwithstanding the efforts of the government to fight child labor including offering financial incentives to schooling, many households continued to use children for work, primarily because of economic reasons rather than conviction about education. In particular, the research examined how family incentives, including laptops, stipends, and food, offered under incentive schools were used as a means to get children to go to school not for schooling, but rather for the benefits they offer. The study also looked at the role of finance generation reforms for families that enabled them economically and made them independent of child income. One of the main focus areas of the study consisted of the moderating effect of educated household having an endorsement on child labor as educated families, though apprised of the labor, justified or practiced child labor in order to normativism the practice. The method of research that was applied in this study is quantitative research, a survey type of method was used to collect the data from 400 households across Sindh. SEM was applied to analyze the data using Smart PLS. The findings helped in generating a better understanding of how complex are the dynamics of education, economic reforms and social norms in the struggle with child labor.