Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between child labor and poverty in Türkiye over the period 2004-2024 from historical, legal, and economic perspectives. The primary objective of the study is to analyze the impact of poverty on child labor using the Granger causality test and to reveal the structural causes of the problem from a critical perspective. Within the conceptual framework, definitions of child and child labor, international conventions (the Geneva Declaration, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO conventions), and national legislation (Labor Law No. 4857) are discussed in detail. The literature review encompasses national and international studies that reveal the relationship between child labor and poverty, lack of education, migration, and gender roles. The current dimensions of child labor in the world and in Türkiye are presented using data from TÜİK and the ILO; as of 2024, the rate of child labor among individuals aged 15-17 in Türkiye has reached 22.3%. Furthermore, the findings obtained from the Granger causality test indicate a unidirectional causal relationship from poverty to child labor at the 10% significance level (F=3.205; p=0.076), while no significant relationship is found from child labor to poverty. This result confirms that poverty is one of the main determinants of child labor. The study emphasizes that, in combating child labor, comprehensive social policies aimed primarily at reducing poverty (such as income support, education incentives, and effective supervision) should be implemented.
Source: DergiPark (Istanbul University)
Author: Bayrakcı, Onur
Institution: Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University
Language: Turkish
Subfield: Development
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7166407774