Incidencia de la Dinámica Familiar, los Factores Socioeconómicos y Culturales en el Trabajo Infantil: Un Análisis desde los Derechos de las Niñas, Niños y Adolescentes del Proyecto de Erradicación del Trabajo Infantil de la Unidad Gualaceo-Azuay, en el año 2024

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze family dynamics, as well as the socioeconomic and cultural factors that influence child labor, within the context of children's and adolescents' rights. The research focuses on families benefiting from the Gualaceo-Azuay Unit' s Child Labor Eradication Project in 2024. A mixed-methods approach was used: the quantitative, non-experimental, and cross-sectional component was conducted through surveys of 58 families; while the qualitative component, phenomenological in nature, included two focus groups with selected participants. The results show that child labor is a multi-causal and systemic phenomenon, arising from the interaction between dysfunctional family dynamics, precarious economic conditions, and deeply rooted cultural patterns. Furthermore, a gap is evident between the formal legal framework and reality, where child labor arises as a response to the need for family survival. The family characterization indicates that 84.4% present some degree of dysfunctionality, 81% have a mother as the head of the household, and 67.2% present a functional reorganization that assigns compensatory roles to children and adolescents. Regarding socioeconomic and cultural factors, structural poverty, informal employment, and exclusion in education and healthcare are identified. Finally, an analysis from the perspective of forensic social work reveals the gap between regulations and systemic family reality, highlighting the urgency of comprehensive interventions for the effective eradication of child labor.