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"Child domestic workers (CDWs) in Ethiopia tend to face challenging working conditions with limited access to education. Child domestic work refers to live-in or live-out work done in a household where the child’s biological parents do not reside and which often but does not always include some fo ... rm of remuneration. Child domestic work is common in Addis Ababa as it serves as an entry point into the labour market for girls migrating from rural to urban areas in Ethiopia (Erulkar et al., 2017). Indeed, a recent study estimated the prevalence of domestic work among girls aged 12–17 in Addis Ababa to be 37% (Erulkar et al., 2022). Though domestic work is not necessarily a harmful form of child labour, CDWs in Ethiopia often face mistreatment and abuse from their employers (Population Council and Freedom Fund, 2021). This mistreatment is linked to broader social norms which place CDWs as inferior and less worthy than other members of the household. In an effort to change norms and behaviours towards the treatment of CDWs, the Freedom Fund implemented a norms and behavioural change campaign (NBCC) in 2022. The NBCC targeted employers of CDWs in Addis Ababa. It was funded through the Program to End Modern Slavery, an initiative of the United States Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and was part of the Freedom Fund’s broader ‘Reducing the Prevalence of Child Domestic Servitude in Ethiopia’ programme. Based on the findings of formative research, the main objectives of the NBCC were to shift norms and behaviours relating to CDWs’ working conditions and access to education. [...] The NBCC reached 57% of employers interviewed during the baseline. Television was by far the main medium through which respondents were exposed to the campaign (95%) followed by online media (13%), physical posters (13%), and community discussions (6%). Using data on recall of campaign materials and participation in campaign activities, respondents were classified into three categories based on level of exposure: no exposure (43%), low exposure (17%), and high exposure (40%). The NBCC’s reach appears to have been uneven as younger respondents, women, and those with more education tended to have a higher level of exposure. Survey findings emphasised the differences in working conditions and access to school between CDWs who are related to their employer and those who are not. Whereas some CDWs are recruited as domestic workers, others are relatives of their employer (for example, a niece) and have been sent by their family to live in Addis Ababa. Those in the first category tend to work longer hours, as reported by their employer (35 per week compared to 24 for those related to their employer) and are less likely to be enrolled in school (25% compared to 75%)." (Executive summary) more

"This article describes how the mass media in Ghana use quantitative information to communicate the prevalence of child labour. During the period 2000–2020, stories about child labour frequently appeared in Ghana’s mass media. Within nearly 30 per cent of the stories, at least one numerical quan ... more

"La Oficina de la OIT en Argentina, con apoyo de su Programa Internacional para la Erradicación del Trabajo Infantil (IPEC), ha elaborado esta herramienta que reúne los temas centrales que debe afrontar y resolver un periodista en su trabajo cotidiano. Esperamos que esta Guía para periodistas y c ... more

"El presente manual pretende dar un vistazo general al problema del trabajo infantil, las causas y las consecuencias del mismo; así como desmentir algunos tópicos sobre lo formativo del mismo, dar respuesta a las preguntas más frecuentes que sobre este tema surgen, y presentar unas breves directr ... more

Evaluation findings report: A norms and behaviour change campaign targeting employers of child domestic workers in Ethiopia

The Quantification of Child Labour by Ghana’s Mass Media: A Missed Opportunity?

Trabalho Infantil: Guia para a Cobertura Jornalística

Media and the Rights of the Child in Africa

Enfrentar el trabajo infantil, una tarea de todos: Guía para periodistas y comunicadores

Manual para periodistas: Cómo informar sobre trabajo infantil desde la ética profesional

Crianças invisíveis: O enfoque da imprensa sobre o trabalho infantil doméstico e outras formas de exploração