Identification of some socio-demographic factors contributing to child work in Zagazig Area

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to detemrine some of the socio-demographic factors contributing to the phenomenon of child labour in Zagazig area. One hundred and twenty nine working boys aged from 6 to 15 years were included in this study. One hundred and thirteen non-working boys of the same age range from the neighbourhood were simultaneously studied as controls. Personal interviews were carried out using a structured questionnaire. Weight in kilograms and height in centimeters were assessed and blood haemoglobin concentration in gm/dl was esrimated for all children. The findings of this study showed that child labour is associated with large families, inadequate educational opportunities, fathers' illiteracy and irregular income. Poverty was the foremost cause of taking up employment. It was also found that most of the children had started work before the legal age. The overall effect of child work found were nutritional defeciency and work-related injuries. It was concluded that illegal child labour continued to be prevalent due to failure to enforce existing laws and standards. So, we recommend that strict efforts should be done to enforce the existing legislations to prohibit child work below the legal age