Hard Work, Long Hours, and Little Pay: Research with Children Working on Tobacco Farms in Malawi

This 81-page report, published by Plan International, describes a participatory study conducted with children in Malawi who had worked full-time on tobacco farms during the 2007/2008 season. The study was designed to find out how children themselves experience and understand the work they do, as well as what they see as the best forms of intervention. The research is intended to be used to inform the work Plan and its partners in Malawi are doing to raise awareness of child labour on tobacco farms, to advocate for changed conditions, and to develop interventions for the affected children.

The research approach took the form of a series of workshops, which included drawing, mapping, storytelling, and discussion. Findings were analysed thematically. The research found that children did the same tasks as adults and were penalised if they did not finish the work given for the day. They were also often given less pay than they were promised. The main reason children gave for working was poverty at home - a large number of children came from elderly or child-headed households. Children reported abuse from supervisors as well as health problems and discrimination from their communities.

The report contains a number of recommendations informed by the issues highlighted in the workshops. They include advocacy, public education, education for the farming sector, and programmes for working with children. According to the report, there is a need for advocacy around the proper implementation of existing labour laws, general poverty alleviation, the needs of vulnerable children, and inheritance legislation. Also, advocacy around access to school and health care was seen as important. Research is also needed on school models for working children.

The author states that there is a need for public education programmes to support vulnerable children, rather than discriminate against them, and to foster a more positive view of vulnerable children. Education around child rights for children and for adults should also be a priority. The report views para-civic educators as potential resources for education campaigns at local level. It also notes that public education needs to specifically include: programmes for children who are working; programmes for children who might become involved in work; and programmes for children who are not working about those who are working. The author cautions that any public education campaign must be carefully planned and researched to identify messages and authentic stories; further, she suggests that this report could provide some of what would be needed to develop messages and stories.

The report suggests that education for the farming sector should include information on the health impacts of farming and labour practices, particularly tobacco farming, as well as on child rights and child abuse.Campaigns should also find creative ways of enabling people to confront farm owners and supervisors. There is a need for programmes designed for adults and farm workers, but also for those designed specifically for children. The report recommends creative communication strategies such as comics or cell phone technology. It also recommends further training for para-civic educators.

The report concludes that programmes for working children should include child-friendly health services, mechanisms that allow children to report abuses at work, and programmes that offer psychosocial support for working children. In addition, the report recommends that further research be done on the health status of working children.