Child Labour, Poverty And Health Outcomes: The Ghanaian Experience

ABSTRACT Many households in Ghana especially rural households experience high poverty and low income. Therefore, as a strategy to ensure that the basic needs of the household are met, children may be forced to participate in the labour market despite the consequences associated with it. Poor households may adopt the use of children in child labour as livelihood strategy. This study examines the relationship between child labour, poverty and health using descriptive statistics and probit regression with data from the 2012/2013 Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS 6). The probit regression estimates show that the health status of a child influences a child’s participation in child labour. Thus, children who are ill are less likely to participate in child labour compared to children who are healthy. Moreover, child labourers in Ghana suffer from various health problems such as cuts, burns, skin diseases and snake bites among others. According to the findings of the study, the income of the household affects child labour decisions. Also, the poverty status of the household is significant in influencing child labour among households. Thus, it is possible to identify children from households that are not poor participating in child labour. Sensitization of the public on the health effects of child labour and feasible policies and programmes to eliminate child labour is very crucial in dealing with the problem of child labour in Ghana.