Child labour for the benefit of the family in rural Poland.

Employing children to work in a family household or on a farm is a widespread phenomena in many countries worldwide. This paper presents the results of an investigation of the phenomenon of the involvement of children aged 11-14 years in work on family farms and in rural households in central and eastern Poland, a typical agricultural region. The data obtained are characterized by high reliability due to utilization of various research techniques: surveys and observations based on records of daily routines. Material collected by questionnaire survey is significant because of the relatively large group of respondents – 1,536 people, selected by stratified sampling. Records of the daily routines of 332 people randomly selected from the general sample of 1,536 people, were conducted over a total period of 2 months through all the seasons – 2 weeks in each season – provided reliable data. Analysis of the collected material allowed characterization of the phenomenon of children's engagement in the work in a family household and on a farm belonging to their parents or relatives, and an indication of the life and health hazards of children involved in work for a benefit of the family.