Tonia Rifaey

Child Labour in Old Cairo and the Roles Children Negotiate: Through Work, Leisure, and Family Bonds Tonia Rifaey

This thesis looks at child labourers from a poor district in Old Cairo, Egypt and how they negotiate their roles. The children are all employed by the pottery factories in Old Cairo, and work six days a week for an average of 11 hours a day. Most of these children have never received any formal education and are under the legal age of employment. The thesis will explore the children?s interactions with their families, friends and employers through the use of case studies, structured interviews and photo- elicitation. Most of the children attended a centre run by a local NGO that was geared to enhance their skills as artists, attending every week on Fridays, their only day off. The age range studied was from 9 to 15 years of age. The families of these child labourers depend on them financially, just as the children depend on their parents for security and nurturing. Child labourers participate actively within their own lives, constantly negotiating constraints and rights that they believe are important to them. Families actively seek what is best for the family as a unit, which includes preserving the pride of the family at all costs.