CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD MIGRATION: PERESPECTIVE FORM, DILLA TOWN, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA

ABSTRACT The principal aim of this study was to investigate the causes and consequences of child migration in Dilla town. In order to carry out this study qualitative approach with various data collection tools such as interview, participation observation and focuses group discussion have been employed. Based on objectives of the study: poverty, family death or divorce, large family size, conflict and search for work were identified as causes of child migration to study area. Child migrants as the subjective of this study were selected 30 Child migrants between 8-17 years as a sample through purposive sampling techniques and they have engaged in different economic activities such as shoe-shine, daily laborer, lottery tickets seller, begging, waiter etc. Moreover, the child migrants have faced many challenges. These are shelter, food, health, education, and discrimination. Even though they faced a lot challenges during working and living in the town to secure their basic needs: they develop various strategies to coupe up the challenges. Such as: eat cheap local food, use cheap cloth, sharing shelter, saving, social network and reducing expenses are among the common survival strategies they are using.The children need help in providing working place, training and encourage self-employment and preparing the fertile working condition. These can be done by concerned governmental organizations working on children affaires like, women and children affairs office, municipality, labour and social affairs office and non-governmental organizations in Dilla town such as (‘marry joy’ and ‘child fund’ who are operating in study area) as well as other stakeholders must coordinate their plan together on reducing the challenges of migrants children. Finally this research topic needs other research finding to know deeply about the child migrants in the study area.