Abordaje del trabajador social con niños, niñas y adolescentes en el proyecto erradicación del trabajo infantil, machala – 2023

Abstract

Currently, Ecuador faces the problem of child labor, an activity that affects the physical and emotional development, produces serious health risks, and above all interferes with the academic education of children and adolescents, this activity also deprives them of the enjoyment of their rights to play, receive a quality education, be protected against labor exploitation, among others. In the city of Machala, the presence of this problem is very noticeable, mainly operating in areas of plastic material recycling, street sales, informal commerce, etc. In this sense, this research work aims to recognize the approach of social workers within the project Eradication of Child Labor (ETI) to this problem. This project is established within the Decentralized Autonomous Government of Machala in agreement with the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion and covers a total of 160 users. Regarding the theoretical framework, bibliographical aspects of numerous authors contributing to the research topic are highlighted, ranging from child labor in Ecuador, the role of the social worker in child labor, the psychological impact of child labor on children and adolescents, the benefits of eradicating child labor, among others. On the other hand, the legal framework that supports this research is divided into three parts: the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador, the Code of Childhood and Adolescence and the Labor Code. In order to fulfill the purpose of this study, a descriptive research will be implemented, since this scope will provide a detailed and accurate explanation of the topic to be addressed, through a mixed approach using the strengths of the qualitative and quantitative method, using a set of procedures for data collection such as: observation, surveys and interviews, addressed to parents of beneficiary users and the professional team of the Child Labor Eradication project (social workers, psychologists, promoters and project coordinator). The results obtained from the diagnostic process showed the intervention of the social worker in the fight against this problem within the Child Labor Eradication Project (ETI), the main barriers and challenges faced by the professionals and the impact of professional intervention with this vulnerable group. Based on this, the intervention plan "Strengthening plan for inter-institutional coordination" was born, which will benefit the users in their school education and will contribute considerably to the project to combat the issue in question. This proposal aims to create an articulation plan between the ETI project and the educational institutions of the users and implement routes that establish lines of action to strengthen formal communication between the two entities, prevent school dropout and raise awareness about the implication of child labor to the authorities of the educational institutions, in order to maximize the potential of schools as spaces to intervene with users who are being affected by child labor.