Psychology Conference Room
Palma Hall Annex
10 August 2002, Saturday
5:00 pm

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study investigated the self-concept, view of work, attitudes toward work, problems related to work and corresponding coping strategies of child scavengers in Payatas, Quezon City. A total of sixteen child scavengers participated in this research endeavor. To explore gender and age differences in the children's responses, an equal number of boys and girls were chosen, and subdivided into two age groups, i.e., 10-12 year olds and 13-16 year olds. Two focus groups discussions (FGDs) were conducted. The first was with a group of boys and girls aged 10-12 years old, and the second with boys and girls aged 13-16 years old. Both FGDs were conducted at the Sangkap Daycare Center of the Campaign for the future of Filipino Children (CFFC), a non-government organization that facilitated the introduction of the researcher to the Payatas community. A pre-test of the FGD was conducted with child scavengers of Smokey Mountain in Tondo.

From participants of the FGD, four children were chosen as case studies for each of the two age groups and genders. In-depth interviews were conducted with the case studies. Their mothers and teachers were likewise interviewed.

A research measures, an FGD guide was developed to solicit the collective response of the child scavengers, while interview schedules were made for the case studies, their mothers and teachers. The case study interviews were supplemented bt observation in the home, school and work settings, for which an observation plan was developed.

After data collection, qualitative analysis of the data was employed. The responses gathered from the interviews and FGDs were categorized according to the children's self-concept, view of work, attitudes toward work, problems and coping strategies. Commonality and differences in responses were later noted and analyzed relative to the children's age and gender.

Results showed that scavenging is primarily viewed by children as a means of earning money. In general, however, children work for the economic as well as social benefits they derive from scavenging. Economic benefits include having money for school needs, being able to augment the family income and buy things they want, and having the means to eventually finish schooling and rise above poverty. Social benefits include having a venue for interacting with friends or with the opposite sex, and having a pastime.

There are aspects of their work that children find favorable and unfavorable. Among the aspects they find favorable are the economic benefits such as having the means to earn and the financial independence, and finding valuables in the dumpsite that they cannot afford to buy such as jewelry. What the children do not like about their work are the physical and social hazards they encounter. Physical hazards include getting hurt by broken glass, nails and other materials, the difficult path to the dumpsite, carrying heavy loads, getting sick from extreme heat or cold or because of exhaustion, encountering hospital wastes such as containers of blood and syringes, and particularly disagreeable material such as parasites, carcasses of animals and dead infants. The social hazards, on the other hand, include being the subject of intrigues by co- workers, being scolded and physically assaulted or sexually harassed, and experiencing the chaos, riots and fights prevalent in their work environment.

Children have varied responses to the hazards previously mentioned. Some of them try to get accustomed to the unfavorable situation they find themselves in, others try to avoid conflict or dangers and, when called for, defend themselves or run to their parents and peers for help. Working with their friends makes work lighter for these children. Some adolescent girls take advantage of their suitors' courteousness by making these boys scavenge for them.

The children also experience difficulties in combining scavenging with their studies. Those who are in school experience difficulty keeping with the pace of lessons, and often absent themselves from class. They try to catch up on their own, or ask the help of their classmates, older siblings or parents. The children are also discriminated in school because of the nature of work. Some of their classmates insult or tease them. They respond to this by ignoring their classmates or defending themselves.

When it comes to their self-concept as scavengers, the children have both positive and negative descriptions of themselves. While they see themselves as industrious, persevering, helpful, respectful and able to defend one's self, they also say they show certain negative attitudes and actions. These include being proud, hot headed or easily angered, and getting into fights or cursing, especially when they are assaulted or scolded in the dumpsite, or when what they scavenge gets stolen. Physically, they describe themselves as pitiful, smelly and untidy.

The focus group discussion responses were examined against the backdrop of the principles of child well being and development proposed by Myers and Boyden . The case studies' experiences were examined in greater detail by examining the extent to which these conform to the developmental patterns expected in their particular stage of development. The children's responses showed that scavenging is both a source of risk and vulnerability and a source of resilience and strength for child scavengers. Children's personal characteristics of age and gender differentially shape their childhood experience. However, for all children, work both hinders and facilities their development. Their capacity for wellness and self-repair and their active role as agents of their own development aid in allowing them to live relatively normal lives in the face of adversity and various situations of stress.

The implications of the study's findings in relation to the children's overall well being were discussed. The study pointed out that scavenging affects the child's health, safety and morals. The children have demonstrated both resiliency and vulnerability in their experience as scavengers. Parents, teachers, policy makers, program managers, service providers and community volunteers are urged to work hand in hand to address the issue of child scavenging by providing a wide range of psychosocial services to the children and their families until this hazardous form of child labor is totally eradicated.

This research is in response to the need to examine child labor in its various contexts, by focusing specifically on the work situation of child scavenging. This study sought to examine the self-concept, view of work, attitudes toward work, problems and coping strategies of child scavengers, since previous studies on child scavenging have focused primarily on its effects on the children's physical health. Furthermore, this study adds to the current body of research on child labor by redefining previous notions of child work and its impact on the child, from merely looking at the harsh realities of child labor to examining the capacity of children for wellness and self-repair. This research, however, is exploratory in nature and only a pioneering research initiative. Further research was recommended.