Tackling Child Labor through Investigation of the family: A Contribution to Public Policy

The overall objective of this study was to learn about the issue of child labor in the city of Corrientes, Argentina, from the macro, meso and micro-social perspectives. For the macro-social analysis level, data from the socio-economic context and public policies were considered. To approach the meso-social analysis level, family profiles were studied. To understand the micro-social dimension, the case study of a family with working children was considered. Each dimension had a type or set of traits corresponding to it that were studied and analyzed and then put together to interpret child labor. It required the use of methods and styles of qualitative and quantitative research. The study seeks to understand within what broader framework the history of Yanina and her children fall in a fragmented social setting marked by regional inequalities. The primary sources are documents from public organisms and the life history of Yanina, regarding her family with working children. Conclusions are-that the "conditioned transfer" in two fragmented programs is not sufficient as a public policy, because intervention is required for the different micro-, meso- and macro social aspects.