Peer-reviewed article
Key Informant Views of the Determinants of Child Labour Maltreatment
Abdul Ahad, Yvonne Parry, Eileen Willis, Shahid Ullah ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study explored the risk factors that lead to maltreatment of child labourers in rural Bangladesh by interviewing 17 experts. The research identified multiple causes including children's young age, dropping out of school, health problems, poverty, socio-cultural acceptance of corporal punishment, and the lack of workplace monitoring and regulation. The study concludes that better evidence and policy are needed to protect working children from abuse.
Key points
- Child labourers are at risk of maltreatment due to demographic factors including young age, school dropout, health complications, and economic dependency on employers
- Socio-cultural factors such as acceptance of corporal punishment, social stratification, and family disorganization increase maltreatment risk
- Economic poverty is a significant driver of child labour and associated maltreatment
- Children working in violence-prone sectors face higher victimization
- Unregulated market structures and lack of workplace monitoring enable exploitation and maltreatment of child labourers
Limitations
This study relies on expert opinion rather than direct interviews with child labourers or their families, so it captures perceptions of risk factors but not the lived experiences of affected children. The findings are specific to rural Bangladesh and may not generalize to urban areas or other contexts.
Abstract
(1) Background: The maltreatment of child labourers is a major public health concern. There is a dearth of research in Bangladesh on the intentional maltreatment of child labourers. This study explored the risk factors for the maltreatment of child labourers in rural Bangladesh based on the knowledge and understanding of experts; (2) Methods: Seventeen interviews were conducted with experts who were sampled using a purposeful approach. A thematic analysis was performed to analyse data using NVivo; (3) Results: Child labourers were exposed to maltreatment due to their demographic, their young age, dropping out of school, health complications, and excessive dependency on employers. Socio-cultural adversities such as corporal punishment practices, social stratification, and family disorganization pose risks of experiencing maltreatment. Economic poverty is also a factor. Child labourers were found to be victimized if they worked in violence prone sectors. Significantly, the unregulated market structure and the lack of monitoring has also led to the exploitation of children in the workplace. Gaps in public policies were also identified as risk factor for the maltreatment of child labourers; (4) Conclusion: There is a need for adequate evidence-based research on the determinants of the maltreatment of child labourers to formulate adequate policy.