Political Science

According to the report issued in the year 2002 by the ILO on child labor, it is evident that more the 250 million children are engaged in child labor.  It is clear from the report that more than half of these children work in hazardous environment. For example, they work in agricultural farms or in the animal husbandry, where tools are designed for grown ups and the protective clothing is not provide for children.  Bearing in mind that children are perfectionists and are also achievers, they work actively and energetically to get the work done timely regardless of the nature of the environment they are subjected to so as to earn their reward money or other goods and services (Grier, 33).   These children are likely to be exploited in many ways including the deprivation of good health physical health or emotional and mental health.

The reports that were presented were collected from both developed and developing countries.  These reports compiled data from labored children between the age 5 and 14 years. Variables were obtained form the adult mortality among other health indicators within the developing countries.  The report shows that majority of the labored children are children from developing countries.   Specific analysis shows that the children from those developing countries who are involved in child labor are from poor families because majority work for pay to get basic needs like food and clothing.

Statistical reports from Guatemala, Yemen and morocco and Egypt, show that the occupational mortality rate in both the adults and children of the same areas were equal leading to a conclusion that the mortality rate in adults was as a result of child labor on these adults during their early ages.  The relationship between health status of adults and labored children showed no difference but it is suspected that the long term effects on the children would arise late in life.  It was also discovered that work contributes positively to the health status of a poor nutrited child (Wigle, 16).  This further complicates the research outcome. 

Children working in agricultural farm are exposed to direct conduct of chemicals used to spray crops in the farms.  This is harmful to their health because once inhaled, they may result to respiratory tract diseases.  The main problem is that the children are ignorant on the precautions to take against contamination by these chemicals and the employers may only take advantage of hem and fail to provide protective masks to them.  It is worth noting that 70 of child labor victims are employed in the agricultural farms.  Apart from the inhaled chemicals, these children are found to have other kinds of injuries which may be physical or mental as well as emotional. 

Physical problems may include knife cuts, snake bites, thorn pricks wire scratches on their skins and tiredness due to heavy loads on them.  Others may sprain their feet or break their legs or hands while working on the farm especially if they are working with aggressive animals like the oxen, or donkeys that may kick them or they may even be run over by farm machines like tractors and combine harvesters.  These kind of harsh working conditions are a result of many deaths among the minors working on the farms (Cigno, Rosati, 23).  Unfortunately, most of these cases go unnoticed by the government bodies or else if they are reported, corrupt means of handling the cases are used to do away with such claims. 

Apart from the agriculture sector, there are other minors working as domestic workers. These are affected by psychological health problems because majority of them are either isolated from their families and mistreated thus making them be lonely and suffer from stress related problems like ulcers, depression and some times some have been reported to commit suicide while trying to run away from their cruel bosses.

Majority of these children work for long hours they are the earliest risers in the places where they are employed and the are still the last to sleep after making sure that the house hold chores are fully completed.  They wake up early to prepare for their employers preparatory duties before leaving to their job places, then the labored children are left to attend to other duties that may include walking to the farm to collect fruits and vegetables that are to be cooked for the employers meals, washing large heaps of cloth, collecting fire wood, heading cattle and sheep and preparing both animal feeds and people foodstuffs for the day.  At the end of the day, these children are usually tired and fatigued (Otis, Pasztor, 4).  This reduces their lifespan and is forced to mature unexpectedly early.  Majority of these become mothers at the age of 13 years and they are now forced to work as domestic workers for ever. 

Among them are those that are sexually assaulted and physically assaulted.  Some of their employers beat them up especially if they do not perform their duties effectively.  These beating may result to more physical injuries and the result is even pathetic when they have no one to report their problems to. Sexually assaulted children are known to have contracted sexually transmitted diseases and others receiving physical bruises on their genital areas making it difficult for them to walk, sleep or work.  Most of these cases are also not reported because the children are threatened by their employers while others are paid for the services. In other words, the children are stressed up, exploited and have repetitive strain injuries on their spinal cord due to long working hours (Otis, Passtor, 9). Domestic jobs are also called hidden jobs. 

Most of the health hazards subjected to these children are long-term problems like reduced intelligent quotient, cancer, infertility and chronic back pains.  It has also been discovered that majority of burns that are sustained in work environment are on the labored children because the relationship of the number of adults who are burnt were much fewer than the minors.  This can be attributed to the children working in the more hazardous environment than the adults or the inability of the enthusiastic youths to judge dangerous environments and safety measures associated to it. (These burns were not collected among the ones that occur domestically. It only included the work environment related burns.)
 
Researches on the relationship between the effects of child labor on health have been carried out for quite some time now.  The World Bank and the United Nations as well as other organizations have done much on child labor researcher, highlighting health aspects such as their physical health, the mental health, their fertility, mortality rates and the health effects related to child labor at a later stage in development and old age (Cigno, Rosati, 35).
   
Studies on the relationship between child labor and HIVAIDS have also been carried out and in most cases it is clearly depicted that the rate of child labor has increased due to orphanage, that when children lose their elder brothers or parents and guardians they are forced to start working at a tender age to earn a living since they become the immediate family heads.  These children have been found to easily contract the diseases at a tender age because they are vulnerable and exposed to environments that promote more chances for sexual abuse.  Majority of the children that considered in the category of child abuse are those that are aged between 5 year and 14 years of age. Research data has shown that these children are faced with risks like malnutrition, unsafe sex, dangerous occupation, poor sanitation, poor water sources and unhygienic conditions the subject them to worse health status (Wigle, 29). Health reports also show that the labored children are less likely to be unhealthy while the conclusion associated to this is that most of the children who are taken to work on farms are the strong and health ones because they are found to be more productive while the unhealthy children are left at home to perform lighter duties. The correlation between mortality rate of both adolescent children significantly elaborate that health care in terms of nutrition and exposure to infectious diseases among children is common in developing countries in which many people are living below the poverty line.  The minors are mostly likely to die from accidence at work place as compared to adults.

Health professional in different countries have been able to access these children and advised some of their parents or guardians on health hazards that are associated to the child labor effects. However, the majority of these children who work in low income earning communities and poverty stricken areas unless if they are assisted by the government or other non governmental or humanitarian organizations may never stop to labor for their survival.  Thus their health will always be at risk.  It is therefore the work of medical officers and health professionals to find ways of identifying the children and advising the affected parents and governments of the health care practices required for these children to remain health (Grier, 36).  The relevant governments are advised to carry out inspection through the labor inspectors in companies, health officers, to try and eliminate and terminate child labor because the children who are labored are a sign of weak nation in the near future. 

In conclusion, the relationship between labored children and those that are not labored though under more studies shows that a labored child is more likely to contact disease than the one who is not labored.  It is also worth concluding that the mortality rate of labored children is higher than that of unlabored children.  The education status of unlabored children goes higher than that of the labored one because the IQ of a labored child is diminished by exhaustion during work.  Child labor, according to the research reports obtained in the world bank in 2002 shows that child labor is more prevalent in developing countries most of which are found in Asia, Africa, Latin America India and China among others.   Labored children are forced to mature physically mentally and emotionally prematurely hence a source of stagnation in growth. Child labor should be eradicated because it destroys the future of a nation.