IMPACT BOLSA FAMILIA PROGRAM UPON CHILD LABOR IN BRAZIL IN 2006

The phenomenon of poverty is responsible for the insertion of many children in the labor market as a way to ensure the sustenance and survival of the family. Brazilian government created the Bolsa Familia Program to combat this kind of problem. This Program is a transfer income program subject to certain conditionalities as minimum school attendance of children under 17 years old. In 2006, almost half of people with income per capita R$ 300.00 per month declared receive the benefit of the program. Accordingly, the objective of this study was to analyze the impact of Bolsa Familiaon child labor in Brazil in 2006. To achieve this goal, we used a Propensity Score Model, with data from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD), for 2006. Contrary to what was expected, the results indicate that the program increased the number of hours of child labor in the country. However, this can be explained by the fact that families that receive Bolsa Familia are also those with higher socioeconomic vulnerability. So, they need to guarantee the survival with the income generated on child labor. Thus, to achieve good results in the fight against child labor, the government needs to invest not only in income transfer policies, but also in improving the labor market of adults and creating opportunities for social development for children.