SOCIAL WORK INTERVENTION STRATEGIES AND REHABILITATION OUTCOME FOR VICTIMS OF CHILD LABOUR IN EGOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA EDO STATE

This study examined the Social Work Intervention Strategies and Rehabilitation Outcome for Victims of Child Labour in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria. Child labour remains a critical social problem that threatens the educational attainment, health, and overall development of children. It is driven by multiple factors, including poverty,unemployment, cultural practices, and family disintegration, which often expose childrento exploitation, abuse, and long-term psychosocial challenges. Social work intervention offers a professional framework for addressing these issues by providing preventive, remedial, and rehabilitative support aimed at rescuing, protecting, and reintegrating affected children into society. The objectives of the study were to: identify the causes of child labour in Egor Local Government Area, examine the socio-economic and cultural factors influencing child labour practices, explore the effectiveness of social work intervention strategies in the rehabilitation of victims, assess the roles of families, schools, and communities in supporting rehabilitation, and investigate the challenges confronting social workers in implementing interventions. The study was anchored on the Ecological Systems Theory as theoretical frameworks. A quantitative survey research design was adopted. The study population comprised children engaged in child labour, their families, social workers, and community stakeholders within Egor LGA. A sample size of 400 respondents was selected using multi-stage sampling procedures. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated by experts in social work, while reliability was ensured through test–retest methods. Findings revealed that poverty, broken homes, peer pressure, lack of parental supervision, cultural practices, and economic hardship are major causes of child labour. The study further showed that while social workers play important roles in counseling, advocacy, rescue operations, and community sensitization, their effectiveness is limited by inadequate resources, policy gaps, and low institutional recognition. The study recommended, among others, that government should strengthen child protection policies, integrate professional social workers into community and school systems, and provide sustainable economic and educational support for vulnerable families. Communities and families should also be sensitized to their roles in preventing child labour, while NGOs and stakeholders should collaborate with social workers to improve rehabilitation outcomes. Keywords: Child Labour, Social Work, Intervention Strategies, Rehabilitation,