Epidemiological features of child labor in Babylon province during the year 2014

Abstract EN

Child labor is common social and health problem, One out of six children in the world today is involved in child labor which is dangerous to his mental, physical and emotional development, developing countries including Iraq are suffering from the various hazardous consequences of this problem, the objective of this study was to identify some factors associated with child labor in Babylon-Iraq.

The research approach adopted descriptive study (cross-sectional comparative study).

A total random sample of 200 male children between the age6-14 years (100 working male children and 100 nonworking male children) were included in this study who were interviewed during the period from July through December,2014 to collect information using a questionnaireto identify possiblfactors that may be associated with this problem.

This study showed that broken family rate was significantly associated with child labor (p<0.05), most of the working children were belonging to low socio economic families as compared with the families of non-working group, this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05), school dropout is significantly higher among working children(0.05).

The study explained that cigarette and water pipe smoking rates were high in working group as compare to the comparison group, working children were exposed more to child abuse (verbal, physical).

Work injuries affected more than one third working children who were exposed to work mechanical hazards.

In conclusion the study refer that there were many charachteristics associated with child labor like socioeconomic factors, tobacco smoking and different forms of child abuse