ABSTRACT
Evidence from Musina suggests that the multiple and contrasting discourses of childhood and vulnerability that were circulating among aid workers were producing mixed representations of migrant girls. Intervention agencies need to be aware of these conflicting discourses and their consequences on young people who are trying to work their way out of poverty, especially those contending with migration and gendered workspaces. Of particular interest are the gendered expectations that shape local understanding of childhood and paid work. The different and contradictory representations of migrant children had different consequences. A small population of young migrants who are working do so in the informal economic sector as vendors, domestics, and farm workers. Acknowledging the notion that children are naive and vulnerable aid workers sometimes assisted these children by negotiating for fair employment remuneration and work conditions with their employers. They did not consistently embrace the understanding of childhood put forth by either the South African government or their own organizations.
