The Role of Marginalization in Creating Urban Social Harms: A Study of Child Labor in Multiple Areas of Karaj

Introduction

The phenomenon of child labor is increasingly recognized as a critical social issue arising from rapid urbanization and industrialization. Migration from small towns to large cities often exacerbates social inequalities, giving rise to peri‑urban peripheries characterized by inadequate infrastructure and pervasive poverty. In these marginalized neighborhoods, children are particularly vulnerable, often engaging in labor to support their families under harsh conditions that compromise their education, health, and psychological development. Such environments not only expose children to physical and emotional risks but also perpetuate cycles of social and economic disadvantage. Prior research studies in Iran and similar contexts have largely focused on quantitative descriptions or on the lived experiences of children, frequently neglecting the role of institutional and structural factors in reproducing child labor. This study aims to fill that gap by exploring the sociological mechanisms through which urban marginalization facilitates child labor in Karaj. The research emphasizes structural inefficiencies—political, economic, social, cultural, and demographic—as key determinants, and investigates how these intersect with contextual factors such as limited family awareness and access to urban services. By considering intervening variables such as institutional weaknesses, informal employment, and family tensions, this study provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the persistence of child labor in marginalized urban areas. The study addresses three principal research questions: 1. What are the social, economic, and institutional mechanisms that facilitate child labor in Karaj? 2. Under what conditions is this phenomenon reproduced? and 3. What strategies and interventions may effectively mitigate it?

Methodology

A qualitative approach was employed, utilizing Strauss and Corbin’s grounded theory methodology to capture the complex interactions between marginalization and child labor. The research involved semi-structured interviews with 15 stakeholders, including managers, urban planners, policymakers, and experts from the welfare, law enforcement, and educational sectors in Karaj. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling to ensure diversity in gender, professional background, and experiential knowledge. Interviews, lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, were designed to explore the structural, social, and institutional conditions influencing child labor. Data were analyzed in three stages: open coding, axial coding, and selective coding. In open coding, raw interview transcripts were examined line by line to extract initial concepts. Axial coding involved linking these concepts into categories representing causal, contextual, and intervening conditions. Finally, selective coding identified a central phenomenon and constructed a paradigmatic model illustrating the interplay of marginalization factors, child labor, and potential interventions. The process continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, ensuring that the model comprehensively reflected participants’ perspectives. Trustworthiness was established through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability criteria, including peer reviews of codes and categories, as well as iterative analysis and verification by domain experts.

Findings

Analysis revealed that child labor in marginalized urban areas is the result of an intricate interplay among causal, contextual, and intervening conditions. Causal conditions were primarily structural inefficiencies across five domains: 1) Political System Inefficiencies: Centralized governance structures, weak policymaking, poor planning, and mismanagement by officials create environments where marginalization remains unaddressed; 2) Economic System Inefficiencies: Poverty, unemployment, low income, informal labor, high housing costs, and family financial pressures compel children to enter the workforce; 3) Cultural and Educational Inefficiencies: Limited parental awareness, low literacy, cultural gaps, and inadequate educational resources restrict children’s opportunities and perpetuate labor engagement; 4) Social System Inefficiencies: Inequalities, family conflicts, addiction, weak social cohesion, and the absence of institutional support heighten vulnerabilities; 5) Demographic Pressures: Migration and population shifts - driven by economic and social push factors and urban pull factors - exacerbate marginalization and facilitate child labor.

The causal conditions were further exacerbated by contextual factors such as family unawareness, limited access to urban services, and social inequities. Intervening factors consisted of weak institutional interventions, informal employment practices, and familial tensions, all of which reinforced the continuation of child labor. The research identified 68 open codes, 26 axial codes, and five selective codes that collectively informed the construction of a paradigmatic model. The outcomes of child labor were multi-layered: Societal Level: Increased social inequities, poverty culture, growth in crime and child exploitation networks, weak community participation, and diminished social capital; Individual Level: Physical, psychological, and emotional harm; exposure to abuse; disrupted educational trajectories; and helplessness and marginalization feelings; Governance and Political Level: Weak trust in authorities, diminished political participation, and societal disengagement.

The study highlighted how marginalization not only initiates child labor but also perpetuates it through systemic inefficiencies and the lack of effective social support. Strategic interventions recommended include equitable urban service distribution, family empowerment, neighborhood-based support programs, and enhanced institutional policies to reduce the incidence of child labor in Karaj’s marginalized areas.

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that child labor in Karaj is fundamentally linked to urban marginalization, resulting from structural, social, economic, and demographic deficiencies. Political, economic, cultural, and social inefficiencies act in concert with family-level and contextual factors to push children into labor. Migration dynamics, particularly the juxtaposition of rural push factors and urban pull factors, further contribute to the concentration of vulnerable populations in urban fringes. Intervening factors such as informal work and insufficient institutional support reinforce the persistence of child labor. The research provides a grounded sociological model explaining the mechanisms by which marginalization both initiates and sustains child labor. Policy implications include the need for: Structural reforms: Decentralized governance, accountable institutions, and improved policymaking; Economic support: Poverty alleviation, employment opportunities for parents, and social protection measures; Cultural and educational improvements: Awareness programs for families, access to quality education, and culturally sensitive interventions; Social and community strategies: Strengthening family networks, addressing addictions, and fostering social cohesion; Regional planning: Balancing development to reduce forced migration and marginalization.

Overall, the study underscores that addressing child labor in urban marginalized contexts requires integrated multi-level strategies combining policy, institutional support, community engagement, and family empowerment. Through its identification of causal, contextual, and intervening factors, this research offers practical guidance for reducing child labor and enhancing social equity in Karaj and similar urban contexts.