BACKGROUND
The paper examines the effect of child labour on child health outcomes in
Bangladesh, advancing the methodologies and the results of papers published in
different journals.
OBJECTIVE
We examine the effect of child labour on child health outcomes.
METHODS
We used Bangladesh National Child Labour Survey data for 2002-2003 for our
analysis.
RESULTS
The main finding of the paper suggests that child labour is positively and
significantly associated with the probability of being injured or becoming ill.
Intensity of injury or illness is significantly higher in construction and
manufacturing sectors than in other sectors. Health disadvantages for different age
groups are not essentially parallel.
CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained in this paper strengthen the need for stronger enforcement of
laws that regulate child labour, especially given its adverse consequences on health.
Although the paper focuses on Bangladesh, much of the evidence presented has
implications that are relevant to policymakers in other developing countries.