Manual pit emptying as a sustainable livelihood in Ghana

This article was published in the journal, Proceedings of the ICE: Engineering Sustainability [© ICE Publishing Ltd.]. The journal's website is at: www.sustainabilityjournal.com and the definitive version of the paper is available at: http://www.icevirtuallibrary.com/content/article/10.1680/ensu.10.00056On-plot sanitation is vital in many low-income country urban areas. Pit emptying is critical to its sustainability and small-scale manual emptiers play a key role in this. This paper investigates the sustainability of manual pit emptying as a livelihood option, focusing on the key sustainable livelihood factors relating to the human, social, physical and financial capitals of manual emptiers. These relate to: their role as emptiers; the employment systems and equipment; their health, well-being, social status and the acceptability of the job they do. The paper concludes that the current state of pit-emptying practice does not represent a sustainable long-term livelihood option for manual pit emptiers, as long as it continues with no improvements in technology, insufficient financial incentives and inadequate health and safety measures. Recommendations to improve sustainability include: improvements in emptying technology; provision of subsidies and free medical care; and health and safety education

Child Trafficking: Characteristics, Complexities, and Challenges

Child trafficking is a complex and far-reaching problem that presents various challenges for analysis and intervention. In this chapter, we provide a broad, inclusive and nuanced introduction to the topic. We begin with an overview of key laws, policies and definitions. We then sketch out some key dimensions to child trafficking, including internal (domestic) versus international trafficking and the broad array of contexts in which trafficked children can be exploited. We critique the overall evidence base on trafficking, highlighting some important shortcomings. We briefly examine the international picture of child trafficking; since individual countries and regions vary in their child trafficking problems and responses, we then focus in on the United Kingdom as a case study. We discuss some specific forms of child trafficking commonly encountered there, considering the associated challenges and complexities: trafficking for child sexual exploitation, drug cultivation, ‘county lines’ criminal exploitation and domestic servitude. We finish by drawing out overall conclusions and implications for future research and responses to child trafficking