Rural-to-urban child migration and exposure to labor exploitation in central Ethiopia

Rural-to-urban child migration and child labor abuse are widely recognized as interconnected social challenges in many low-and middle-income countries. While child labor occurs in both rural and urban contexts, migration can heighten children’s vulnerability by exposing them to unfamiliar environments, weak social protection mechanisms, and informal job markets. This study aimed to explore the drivers of rural-to-urban child migration, identify the sectors in which migrant children are engaged in labor, and assess the effects of abusive labor on children’s education, health, and social interaction in Wolkite town, Central Ethiopia. The study involved migrant children residing in Wolkite town, central Ethiopia, community leaders, and experts from the town’s Women and Children Affairs Office. Qualitative phenomenological design was employed. Participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through 15 in-depth interviews, six key informant interviews, and two focus group discussions. The data were analyzed thematically. Multiple interrelated factors, including poverty, family disintegration, inadequate social services, low value for education, domestic violence, seasonal livelihood constraints, and conflict, appeared to be factors driving rural-to-urban child migration. Upon migration, children commonly engage in domestic work, street labor, and informal, often under abusive and hazardous conditions that negatively affect their well-being. Rural–urban child migration in the study area is primarily shaped by structural and household-level vulnerabilities that expose children to exploitative labor, threatening their educational attainment, physical health, psychological well-being, and social development. The study underscores the need for coordinated interventions involving government and non-governmental actors to strengthen rural social services, expand educational support such as school feeding programs, enforce child labor regulations, and promote community awareness to reduce child migration and labor exploitation

Interpretative phenomenological analysis · Population · Qualitative research · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Hydropower, Displacement, Environmental Impact · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare