«También ayudar o facilitar la búsqueda de trabajo». Discursos de interventoras/es en situaciones de trabajo infantil de programas del SENAME¹ en la Comuna de Valparaíso (Chile)

Introduction. This article focuses on child labour intervention processes from a governmental viewpoint. We analysed the discourses of interveners in childhood programmes that address Child Labour (CL) situations in the Commune of Valparaíso (Chile). Methodology. A qualitative study design was followed. A total of 9 individual interviews were conducted together with 2 discussion groups with 19 interveners which were then analysed using the Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) method. Results. Criticisms were formulated of the intervention model designed by institutional mechanisms that address violations of the rights of Children and Adolescents (CA), including CL. This critique implies reinterpreting practices based on affective approaches to address the problem. The intervention distances itself from the prohibitionist approach and would address CL only in situations that affect educational processes or involve risky jobs. In the case of specific family contexts and children profiles, some CL modalities are considered protective and beneficial, and are incorporated into intervention processes. Finally, we argue that the subjectivisation processes of working children and adolescents respond to scenarios marked by the restitution of their rights and, if applicable, the educational reintegration and resignification of the violation, but also by a justification of the work activity. Discussion. By reinterpreting the practices, it would be possible to modify governmental mechanisms, reordering the expectations and experiences of the children and the effects of institutional frameworks. Conclusions. The study provides an additional interpretation of child labour, emphasizing the tensions existing within the intervention and operational processes to achieve results for children and adolescents whose rights have been violated. To conclude, interventions will depend on the type of work and the intervener’s interpretation. A rationalization of prohibitionism, a low level of recognition of work as a violation of rights, and a justification of work activity were found. As a result, no critical subjectivisation of CL is taking place. The scope of application of the study results is limited to interveners in the Commune of Valparaíso and its institutional framework. It would therefore be relevant to investigate other mechanisms in the region and in Chile as a whole. In this way, it would be possible to identify differences and similarities in the way interveners construct the problem.