Dignity: the cornerstone of psychological health among victims of child labor, a qualitative study

Abstract

Abstract Background Respecting the dignity of child labor is one of their most urgent needs. In many cases, the dignity of child labor is not maintained in countries with unfavorable economic conditions. The aim of the present study was understand adolescents’ perceptions of their dignity in child labor. Methods This study is a qualitative research with conventional content analysis approach. Twenty teenagers who having work experience as child labor were selected from one welfare center and three charity centers in using purposeful sampling method in 2022–2023. Data was generated through individual, deep, and semi-structured interviews. In order to analyze the data was used Granheim and Lundman’s method. Results Three main themes were presented in this study including, “preservation of privacy and security”, “honoring individual identity to develop dignity” and “comprehensive support”, and 9 categories. Conclusion understand adolescents’ perceptions as child labor of their dignity, privacy and security of child labor victims and respect for their identity and all-round support are defined. And in this supportive environment, the dignity of working children is preserved and appropriate behavioral consequences are created. Therefore, it is suggested that a cultural and institutional background be provided in which all components of the child labor’s dignity are emphasized.

Keywords

• Dignity
• Adolescent
• Labor
• Qualitative research