HIV/AIDS and child labour in South Africa: A rapid assessment - The case study of KwaZulu-Natal. Paper No 4

The study investigated the link between HIV/AIDS and child labour in South Africa, covering selected towns and rural areas in KwaZulu-Natal Province. This study aimed to determine whether there is a link between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and child labour, and to explore the family, community, gender and socioeconomic implications of this relationship. Study data, conclusions and recommendations are being made available to professionals in human services, with the following goals: generating more effective psycho-social interventions for families and girls and boys orphaned by AIDS; engaging in prevention, advocacy, and national/provincial strategies to alleviate socio-economic burdens imposed upon girls and boys by HIV/AIDS; and utilizing the data – in the context of children’s rights, socio-economic development, and fair labour practices – to protect girls and boys, moving towards the eradication of child labour, and setting up multidisciplinary, “child-friendly” programmes engaging health, education and labour issues in a holistic manner.