Socio-Cultural Discourses of Children Engaged in Child Labor in India: A Macro-Ethnographic Study.

Background: Child labor is considered one of the main social problems that affect the community and has a physical and psychosocial impact on a child's health, growth, and development. The study aimed to describe the sociocultural discourses of children involved in child labor. A macroethnographic approach was used to collect the data from the selected community areas of Punjab, India. Materials and Methods: A community-based qualitative study using purposive sampling was carried out among children engaged in child labor (n = 8). The data were gathered through in-depth or semi-structured interviews and non-participant observation under four phases: community context assessment, egocentric network analysis, validation, and dissemination of study findings. The guide for consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ) was followed. Ongoing analysis was conducted using Spradley's analysis approach to identify the themes. Results: Thematic analysis resulted in the emergence of various themes related to child labor, namely, adaptability, money-centric attitude, sense of being underserved, social deprivation, work burden, reduced emotional expression, workaholism, abuse, family shoulder, family cohesion, and sense of industry. Apart from that, inhuman living and working conditions, as well as school deprivation among study subjects, were observed. Poverty emerged as the single most compelling factor for child labor in India. Conclusion: The study concluded that child labor had a negative impact on children's overall development. An effective intervention to stop child labor is if vulnerable children are identified through primary healthcare, and a relationship of trust is built that allows for the provision of health care, education, support, and referral to additional services outside the health sector.

Mental disorders in former street-working boys.

The continuity of mental disorders in street-working children is rarely studied. This study therefore investigated homotypic continuity, recurrence of the same disorder, and heterotypic continuity, when a new disorder follows on the previous, of mental disorders from childhood to adulthood in street-working boys from Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Mental disorders were assessed by structured diagnostic interviews in 40 street-working boys in 2004-2005 and again in 2021, when the participants' mean ages were 12.1 (SD 1.8) and 29.7 (SD 2.3), respectively. Mental disorders were common; 24 participants (60%) satisfied the criteria for at least one diagnosis at baseline and 28 (70%) at follow-up. Comorbidity increased from 1.2 (SD 1.4) disorders initially to 2.5 (SD 1.8) at follow-up. Only anxiety disorders showed homotypic continuity. Depressive disorders exhibited the greatest increase over time whereas externalizing disorders exhibited a decreasing tendency. The number of mental disorders in adulthood was related to the number of mental disorders in childhood but not to the number of childhood traumas experienced, having previously worked for more than two hours per day, having worked for over two years on the streets, or having at least one dead parent as a child. Parental ratings on the Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL) from childhood were also unrelated to the number of adult disorders. More longitudinal studies with bigger samples of both genders are needed to fully evaluate the continuity of mental disorders in street-working children and to determine whether the number of mental disorders in childhood is a stronger predictor of being mentally disordered in adult life than psychosocial risk factors or experiences of internalizing or externalizing symptoms in childhood.

Exposure to Organic Solvents and Neurobehavioral Assessment of Working Children of Informal Footwear Units of Agra, India.

Background: Children aged 5 to 14 years are employed in the informal units of footwear making and are exposed to a mixture of organic solvents present in the adhesives. Organic solvents are reported to be toxic to the neurobehavioral system. Objective: The present study was undertaken among the working children of informal footwear units of Agra to assess neurobehavioral functions using neurobehavioral tests. Materials and Methods: The study included 151 working children and 157 school children. We used the interview technique to collect the data regarding demographic, occupational, personal, and clinical characteristics using a pre-designed and pre-tested proforma. Each study participant was then subjected to a neurobehavioral test battery that included digit symbol test, finger dexterity, tweezer dexterity, vocabulary test, picture completion, and maze completion test. Results: The mean age of working children was 10.8 ± 1.5 years and that of school children was 11.0 ± 1.5 years. Except for the vocabulary test scores, all other test scores were significantly lower among working children as compared with the school children. Conclusion: The study revealed that the working children in informal footwear making units are exposed to a mixture of chemicals that affect their neurobehavioral function as reflected by poor neurobehavioral test battery (NBT) scores.

Work-related injuries among 5 - 17 years-old working children in Egypt: findings from a national child labor survey.

BACKGROUND: Egypt has agreed and ratified international regulations that strict child labor. However, the country still struggles with high prevalence of child labor and the associated negative social and health effects. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence and determinants of work-related injuries among working children in Egypt. METHODS: This study involved a secondary data analysis of the National Child Labor Survey (NCLS) conducted in 2010 by The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in Egypt with technical and financial support from the ILO's International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) through its Statistical Information and Monitoring Program on Child Labor (SIMPOC). The total number of working children who responded to questions of work-related injuries in the NCLS child questionnaire was 7485 children. RESULTS: The prevalence of work-related injuries among working children in Egypt was estimated as 24.1% (95% CI: 22.0%-26.2%), of whom the majority were superficial wounds (87.3%). Among children who reported work-related injuries, 57.9% did not stop work or schooling because of the most serious injury, while 39.6% had stopped temporarily and 2.6% had stopped completely. The main determinants of work-related injuries among working children in the study sample were gender (boys), age of starting work (5-11 years), type of main economic activity (industry and services), type of main workplace (plantation, farms, or garden), the average work hours per week (28 h or more), and exposure to ergonomic and safety, and chemical hazards at work. CONCLUSIONS: The estimated high prevalence of work-related injuries among working children aged 5-17 years in Egypt raises the health risks concerns associated with child labor. Findings of this study on the determinants of work-related injuries could guide policies and interventions to combat child labor and the associated health risks, including work-related injuries.

Former street-working boys in Iraq highlight the importance of receiving education, training and support from families and other adults.

AIM: This study investigated the perceptions of men who worked on the streets of Iraq when they were children. It looked at the risks they faced, how they developed resilience and what support they feel current working children need. METHODS: In 2021, semi-structured interviews were held with 40 men aged 24-33 who used to work on the streets as children. They had attended the Zewa Centre, a drop-in centre for street-working children in 2004-2005. Thematic analysis was used to explore the transcribed interviews. RESULTS: Positive feedback focused on how they developed working and social skills and felt proud to support their families. Negative feedback included the consequences on their social lives and mental and physical health. Their suggestions for preventing street work in children were financial support, so that families could send their children back to school, and programmes that offer social skills training and vocational training. Social support from families, other adults and peers was very important. CONCLUSION: Working on the streets had positive and negative consequences and support from family and friends influenced the men's attitudes in adulthood. They suggested that financial support, education and social and vocational training would be very important for today's street-working children.

Genomic and serological assessment of asymptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections in child labor.

Since working children have limited access to testing and monitoring for COVID-19, we decided to measure SARS-CoV-2 prevalence among them and compare it to non-working children. Our objective is to compare the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 genome and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody among working and non-working children. Volunteer child labor studying at Defense of Child Labor and Street Children and randomly selected 5-18-year-old (same range as child labor group) unemployed children participated in this study. The groups, respectively, had 65 and 137 members. This is an analytical cross-sectional study that surveys molecular prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR, and seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody by ELISA in working and non-working children. The IBM SPSS statistics software version 25 was used for data analysis. The χ2 or Fisher's exact test was used to analyze categorical dependent variables, for calculating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Among the children enrolled in this study, molecular prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 turned out to be 18.5% in working children while it was 5.8% in unemployed children [aOR: 3.00 (CI95%: 1.00-7.00); P value: 0.003] and seroprevalence turned out to be 20% in working children vs 13.9% in non-working children [aOR: 1.000 (CI95%: 0.00-2.00); > P 0.001]. Equal SARS-CoV-2 viral load as adults and no symptoms or mild ones in children, coupled with working children's strong presence in crowded areas and their higher rate of COVID-19 prevalence, make them a probable source for spread of the virus.

Boys who work on the streets of Iraq are exposed to more traumatic events such as torture than schoolboys of the same age.

AIM: Information is scarce about the issues faced by street working. This study examined traumatic events experienced by boys working on the streets of Iraq compared to schoolboys. METHODS: We compared 100 street working boys aged 8-16 years who were attending a drop-in centre for street working children in Duhok City, Kurdistan, Iraq, in 2004/2005 with 100 age-matched schoolboys randomly selected from six local schools. The instruments that were used included the Harvard-Uppsala Trauma Questionnaire for Children. RESULTS: Most of the street working boys were involved in activities such as selling goods or shoe shining, and some were stealing or begging. None were involved in drugs or prostitution. The street working boys showed a significantly higher rate of traumatic events than the control group (96% versus 64%, p < 0.001) and higher rates of moderate to severe trauma levels (78% versus 25%, p < 0.001). A varying degree of association was found for reporting different traumatic events. The largest effect size was found for torture, with an odds ratio of 28.4, and the smallest for maltreatment or assault (2.7). CONCLUSION: Street working boys in Iraq faced a higher risk of exposure to traumatic events than age-matched schoolboys.

Calidad de vida y comportamientos de riesgo en niños(as) trabajadores(as) y familias: el contexto de la comuna San José, Manizales / Quality of life and risk behavior in working children and families: the San Jose commune context, Manizales / Qualidade de vida e comportamentos de risco em crianças trabalhadoras e familias: o contexto da fabela San Jose, Manizales

Objetivo: contribuir a la reflexión sobre los riesgos y las conductas de riesgo de un grupo de niños, niñas y jóvenes trabajadores(as) con el fin de develar en sus realidades y vivencias nuevos significados y sentires que permitan fortalecer su capacidad de autocuidado. Metodología: investigación cualitativa que muestra la necesidad de abordar desde una mirada comprensiva y sentido crítico, las concepciones de calidad de vida y los comportamientos de riesgo desde los niños y niñas trabajadores. Resultados: el comportamiento de riesgo no es sólo una condición exclusiva de niños, niñas y jóvenes trabajadores(as), sino que se relaciona con los contextos y las historias sociales de las que ellos y ellas forman parte. Las familias de estos(as) niños(as) y jóvenes cuentan con débiles mecanismos simbólicos para apoyar y brindar seguridad, afecto y pautas a sus hijos, lo que se traduce en un vacío de cuidado hacia ellos y ellas, que los lleva a construir otros marcos referenciales y comportamientos de riesgo como el uso de drogas o actividades que a su vez conllevan situaciones de violencia como daños y robos a la propiedad privada. También algunos de ellos y ellas construyen sentidos y significados desde su cotidianidad e interrelaciones con los adultos en la casa, la escuela, el trabajo, lo que involucra su propio reconocimiento o subjetividad en cuanto a prácticas de autocuidado relacionadas con la protección del abuso sexual, cuidarse de la influencia de amigos consumidores y protección de los(as) niños(as) más pequeños(as) frente al consumo, sin embargo, por el hecho de autocuidarse no se eliminan los factores de riesgo del entorno (violencia, riesgos laborales) que son prioritariamente consecuencias o que dependen de las condiciones sociales y económicas en las cuales se dan estos factores. Conclusiones: se hace necesario acoger los niños y niñas trabajadores en los ámbitos institucionales y dar respuesta...

Objective: Contribute to the discussion on risks and risk behaviors of a group of working children and teenagers in order to unveil their realities and experiences, new meanings and feelings that will strengthen their ability to care for themselves. Methodology: A qualitative research that illustrates the need to address from a comprehensively look and critical thinking, the conceptions of quality of life and risk behaviors of children and young workers. Results: Risky behavior is not only an exclusive condition of children and young workers, but it is related to their contexts and social stories. Their families have weak symbolic devices to support and provide security, affection and guidance to their children, resulting in a lack of care, which leads them to create other frames of reference and risk behaviors, such as drug use or activities that result in violent situations, theft and damage to private property. Some of them also construct meanings and significance from their daily lives and relationships with adults at home, school, work, which involve their own recognition or subjectivity in terms of self-care practices related to protection from sexual abuse, guard against peer pressure regarding drug use, and protecting younger children from consumption. However, self-care does not eliminate surrounding risk factors (violence, occupational hazards) or consequences that are primarily dependent on social and economic conditions that generate said factors. Conclusions: It is necessary to accommodate working children in institutional settings and respond to their demands, social and cultural rights, and overcome the stigma and blame mechanisms for working or being consumers of psychoactive substances. The need to strengthen the political and social capital of families and working children is observed, in order to enable them to take an active role regarding the defense and guarantee of their rights.