Child labour in Cameroon

Abstract

Objective: To review the existing literature on child labour in Cameroon in order to raise awareness and provide information for future interventions to combat child labour. Methods: Electronic search of the MEDLINE as well as reports (published and unpublished) on child labour in Cameroon. Results: Cameroon is facing some of the worst violations of children's rights with more than 600,000 child labourers involved in different activities such as family work, self-employment, wage employment (in plantations, industries, farms, etc.), child placement, child trafficking and prostitution. The main determinants child labour are poverty, parental level of education, migration, HIV infection, place of residence, socio-cultural factors, family size and the flawed registration system. The effects of child labour are dramatic and include low school enrollment rates, high drop out from schools, poor growth and development, high adult unemployment and a persistent cycle of poverty. Conclusions: The worst forms of child labour in Cameroon which constitutes serious violations of human rights include child trafficking and prostitution, and should be targeted as priority for immediate action. It is not feasible to prescribe a single magic bullet to combat child labour in Cameroon. However, for any strategy to be successful, we strongly recommend that it should take into consideration the determinants of child labour identified in this review. Future research should seek to identify optimal interventions to reduce and in possible eliminate child labour in Cameroon.