African children at work

Most children in Africa start working from a very early age - helping the family or earning wages. Should this work be abolished, tolerated, or encouraged? Such questions are the subject of much debate: international and national organizations, employers, parents, and children often have diverse opinions and put pressure in different directions. The authors of this book contribute to the discussion through intensive fieldwork and careful analysis of children's activities. They consider childhood and family, work and play, work in rural and urban contexts, paths to learning, work and school, and children's rights.