Parental Involvement and its Relationship with their children involvement in Intergenerational Persistence of Child Labor in Mechanical Workshops in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Abstract

Globally, the issue of child labor is more hazardous and specifically more vulnerable as well as deplorable in underdeveloped and developing countries. This research study has its unique dimension of child labor from the perspective of intergenerational persistence of child labor specifically in mechanical workshops of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. The objective of the study has mainly focused on the parental involvement in child labor at their early age of life and its relationship with their children’s involvement in child labor that leads to intergenerational persistence. The researcher designed descriptive research questions followed by a qualitative phenomenological research approach to investigate the issue. The targeted population comprised of children working in mechanical workshops, their parents who were/are also involved in work and remained child labor during their very early stage of life. The respondents were selected through purposive sampling and snowball sampling techniques for data collection. Two major research instruments (semi-structured interview guide and a Focus Group Discussion) were used to collect data from the respondents. The data were analyzed, and major themes were discussed in the light of secondary data .The major findings reflect that large family size, age of child, family nature, family social norms, parent’s personal behavior, household composition, siblings and relatives’ involvement in mechanical workshop, were the major structural factors of intergenerational persistence of child labor in mechanical workshops.