Teenage Labor Migration and Antitrafficking Policy in West Africa. Issue 1 (May 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Howard, Neil
• Editors: Weitzer, Ronald; Zhang, Sheldon X.
• Is Part Of: Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Volume 653:Issue 1(2014:May)
• Page Start: 124
• Page End: 140
• Publication Date: 2014-05
• Subjects: child trafficking -- teenage labor migration -- mining -- Benin -- Nigeria; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- United States -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; United States -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; 300
• DOI: 10.1177/0002716213519242
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-7162

Abstract

Within the antitrafficking community, even legal child or youth work is often pathologized, seen as a "worst form of child labor" or, where movement is involved, as trafficking. Major policy responses thus focus on attempting to protect the young by preventing their movement or policing their work. Using a case study of adolescent labor migrants in Benin who work in artisanal gravel quarries in Nigeria, I provide evidence that suggests that the dominant discourse regarding this kind of labor is inaccurate and that policies based on it may be failing. This is in large part because the labor migration depicted as "trafficking" by the antitrafficking community is not experienced as such by young migrants.