The prevalence of domestic servitude among child domestic workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: Research findings

It is estimated that there are 17.2 million child domestic workers globally, most of whom are girls. Research related to this marginalized group is limited, with most at a small scale or subsumed in other topics, such as domestic workers generally. The dearth of evidence limits awareness about girls in such circumstances and inhibits the design and implementation of context-appropriate policy and program responses. This mixed-method study is one of the few large-scale studies to examine child domestic work, including its prevalence, the entry and experience of girls in this work, and levels of human trafficking, hazardous work, and illegal child labor. The study, which took place in low-income areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, takes into account ambiguities in distinguishing child domestic workers, especially when workers are distant family members or children considered to be fostered. For this report, “child domestic workers” include those who self-identify as domestic workers, and girls who report a minimum of 14 hours of domestic work undertaken per week and are not living with conjugal family members. The majority of girls in child domestic work are migrants and come from extremely poor backgrounds