Abstract

The persistence of child labor as a widespread global phenomenon is a result of the failure to challenge the conditions of economic injustice and child exploitation. Underlying this failure are policy frameworks that do not address the underlying conditions that produce child labor, namely state fragility, armed conflict, and environmental problems. An estimated 250 million children live in armed-conflict affected areas (Raqib, 2017), where the incidence of child labor is at least 77% higher than the global average (International Labour Organization, 2017). UNICEF (2016) estimates that about 535 million children live in conflict or disaster-stricken areas. Child labor thrives under these conditions because of the poverty, vulnerability, and lack of opportunities characteristic of - areas affected by conflict and ecological disasters. The international system has not addressed the root causes of child labor, failing to raise and coordinate adequate relief and development resources when conflicts transpire.

This presentation will propose a new theoretical framework on child labor that incorporates the prominent role state fragility and armed conflict play in the constitution of this phenomenon. The presentation will further explore this theoretical framework through a case study of child labor in Syrian refugee communities. The Syrian conflict has resulted in one of the greatest humanitarian crises of the 21^st century. Over 5.6 million Syrians have become refugees, mostly residing in the neighboring countries of Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon. Bleak prospects for Syrian refugee youth have raised concerns of a ‘lost generation’ of children who have had their housing, schooling, and childhoods interrupted. The combination of inadequate national refugee policies, abject poverty, and withering international aid for the crisis have made child labor endemic among many Syrian refugee communities in Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey (Küppers & Ruhmann, 2016; International Labour Organization et al., 2017; Habib et al., 2019). This address will share stories that elucidate how child labor takes root in conflict settings and how the international community can better address the challenges facing those who are most vulnerable.