“But We Want to Work”: The Movement of Child Workers in Peru and the Actions for Reducing Child Labor

Abstract

The program Edúcame Primero (Educate Me First) is an evidence-based practice for eradicating child labor that has been applied with positive results in Colombia, Peru, and several Central American countries. In this article, we describe the difficulties of implementing the program in two poor areas of Lima (Peru) between 2014 and 2016. Specifically, we discuss three ethical challenges faced during the implementation of the program: (a) the existence of a movement of working children that defends the right of children to work; (b) the polarization of some community-based associations and government institutions on how to deal with the problems of working children; and (c) the use of network indicators in the evaluation of the community's level of cohesion. Taking the Code of Ethics of the General Council of Associations of Psychologists in Spain as a guide, we adopted a consensus approach in planning and research design, combining different criteria of value with the participation of different stakeholders. The implementation of the program in Peru gave preference to developing skills in children over changing attitudes in relation to child protection, although the intervention openly declared its aims when engaging institutions and families. Finally, we address how social network research places special ethical demands on conventional ethical standards. Our experience with this project shows the importance of acting as a bridge between different stakeholders and assessing how all of them benefit from the intervention.

Complicating Narratives: Defining and Deconstructing Ethical Challenges in Community Psychology

“…Adaptation of interventions to local settings is certainly common, and in many situations, it can facilitate uptake and successful implementation, but when does adaptation become cooptation? Jariego (2017*) faced this challenge in his efforts to implement an evidence‐based intervention to prevent child labor in Peru. The social norms of the districts where he sought to implement the program did not support eradication of child labor, to the extent that there was a grassroots movement of children who demanded that they be allowed to work.…”

La Convergencia en la Evaluación Socioacadémica por parte de Docentes y Estudiantes durante la Implementación de un Programa Psicoeducativo para la Prevención del Trabajo Infantil

“…a trabajar (Maya-Jariego, 2017). Esto se acrecienta en las comunidades formadas por personas migrantes de otras regiones del país, con menos presencia de los servicios públicos y un escaso nivel de desarrollo comunitario, como ocurre en unos de los centros donde se implementó el programa.…”

“…Ven el desarrollo profesional de sus hijos como un objetivo lejano, a veces inalcanzable. En cambio, sienten la necesidad de que los menores aporten a la economía familiar o que colaboren con el cuidado de otros menores en el hogar (Maya-Jariego, 2017). Todo ello se refleja en cierta divergencia entre profesores y familias respecto a sus expectativas sobre la experiencia educativa.…”

Conciencia de las capacidades personales y rendimiento académico en la implementación de un programa psicoeducativo

“…El trabajo infantil forma parte de un círculo vicioso vinculado a procesos económicos, sociales y culturales. En algunas comunidades peruanas, el trabajo que ejercen los menores es para los adultos una muestra de responsabilidad e independencia (Emerson & Souza, 2003;Lieten & Strehl, 2015;Maya-Jariego, 2017). Algunas familias con hijos trabajadores asumen que se trata de una actividad positiva para su desarrollo.…”