INTENTION AND DECISION TO EMPLOY CHILD LABOR: THE MODERATING ROLE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT IN VIETNAM’S TRADITIONAL CRAFT VILLAGES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v22.n5.3607Palabras clave:
Child Labor Protection Law, Law Enforcement, Traditional Craft Villages, Tourism, Legal Awareness, Handicrafts, VietnamResumen
In traditional craft villages, particularly in developing countries, child and adolescent labor continues to account for a considerable proportion of the workforce. This study aims to explore and quantify the factors influencing the intention and decision to employ child labor from the perspective of owners and managers of traditional craft villages. Data were collected through a survey of 480 owners and managers operating in Vietnam’s traditional handicraft sector. The analysis, conducted using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach, reveals that owners’ or managers’ attitudes, training associated with traditional preservation, financial pressure, and local labor culture exert positive effects on the decision to employ child labor through the mediating role of employment intention. Conversely, knowledge of child labor protection laws demonstrates a negative effect. Moreover, the results indicate that the degree of law enforcement serves as a significant moderating factor that weakens the relationship between intention and decision to employ child labor, emphasizing the importance of legal systems and monitoring mechanisms in mitigating this issue. These findings underscore the critical role of legal awareness and enforcement in protecting vulnerable labor groups and promoting sustainable private-sector development within traditional craft villages in developing countries.
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