Africa Knowledge Hub for Children

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex3 Sept 2026

COMBATING DANGERS AND SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN IN ONLINE VIDEO GAME ENVIRONMENT

Online video game environments have emerged as a critical frontier for child safety, providing opportunities for entertainment, social engagement, and digital development while simultaneously exposing millions of children to emerging online risks. These risks include data breaches, online sexual grooming, cyberbullying, exposure to harmful algorithmic content, and other forms of digital exploitation. As children increasingly participate in online gaming communities, ensuring their safety requires comprehensive policies that integrate child rights, digital literacy, technological responsibility, and effective governance mechanisms. Nepal, as a nation with one of the fastest-growing digital youth populations, faces distinct challenges in addressing child online safety due to limited digital literacy among children, families, and communities, as well as insufficient legal and institutional infrastructure. This position paper outlines the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal's stance on child online safety within the UNICEF framework. It emphasizes the importance of collaborative approaches to protect children in digital environments. Nepal proposes three interconnected initiatives: the Nurturing Guardians Initiative (NGI), which focuses on empowering parents and caregivers with digital safety knowledge; the School Shield Program (SSP), which promotes digital literacy and responsible online behavior among students; and the Cross-Border Sentinel Project (CSP), which strengthens international cooperation in addressing transnational digital threats. The paper argues that child protection in digital spaces is a universal right requiring coordinated global action involving governments, technology providers, educational institutions, and communities. Through collaborative policies and preventive strategies, a safer and more inclusive online gaming environment can be achieved for children worldwide.

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex1 May 2020

Efficacy and safety of antibiotic agents in children with COVID-19: a rapid review

BACKGROUND: The aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of antibiotic agents in children with COVID-19, as well as to introduce the present situation of antibiotics use and bacterial coinfections in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: We searched Cochrane library, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, CBM, Wanfang Data and CNKI from their inception to March 31, 2020. In addition, we searched related studies on COVID-19 published before March 31, 2020 through Google Scholar. We evaluated the risk of bias of included studies, and synthesized the results using a qualitative synthesis. RESULTS: Six studies met our inclusion criteria. Five studies on SARS showed an overall risk of death of 7.2% to 20.0%. One study of SARS patients who used macrolides, quinolones or beta lactamases showed that the mean duration of hospital stay was 14.2, 13.8 and 16.2 days, respectively, and their average duration of fever was 14.3, 14.0 and 16.2 days, respectively. One cohort study on MERS indicated that macrolide therapy was not associated with a significant reduction in 90-day mortality (adjusted OR 0.84, 95% CI: 0.47-1.51, P=0.56) and improvement in MERS-CoV RNA clearance (adjusted HR 0.88, 95% CI: 0.47-1.64, P=0.68). According to the findings of 33 studies, the proportion of antibiotics use ranged from 19.4% to 100.0% in children and 13.2% to 100.0% in adults, despite the lack of etiological evidence. The most commonly used antibiotics in adults were quinolones, cephalosporins and macrolides and in children meropenem and linezolid. CONCLUSIONS: The benefits of antibiotic agents for adults with SARS or MERS were questionable in the absence of bacterial coinfections. There is no evidence to support the use of antibiotic agents for children with COVID-19 in the absence of bacterial coinfection.

on behalf of COVID-19 Evidence and Recommendations Working Group, Jianjian Wang, Yuyi Tang et al.

CNJPKRRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex18 Feb 2021

CORONA VIRUS, CHILD LABOUR AND IMPERFECT MARKET IN INDIA

The objective of the study is to analyse impact of corona virus in child labour in India. Covid-19 pandemic has created a big challenge in front of the world and India its negative impact on the economy has also created the possibilities of an increase in child labour. One impact would be an increase in the number of child workers. Along with the health crisis, and the economic and labour market shock that the pandemic has generated, the vulnerability of millions to child labour is another issue that merits serious attention. Already, there are 152 million child labourers worldwide. Despite the prohibition of engagement of children below the age of 14 in all occupations, India alone is home to 10.1 million child labourers in the age group 5-14 years Census 2011. As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s (CMIE) weekly tracker survey, the impact of COVID-19 has already pushed the urban unemployment rate to 30.9% as on April 5, which was 8.21% on March 15 estimates show that about 400 million informal workers in India may not get back their livelihood status for a longer period in the near future KEYWORDS:- Child labour, Covid-19, Health, Unemployment, Work

Ipsita Priyadarsini Pattanaik

ProtectionINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex10 Jun 2023

THE SEASONAL NATURE OF CHILD LABOUR AND ITS FORBIDDEN UPSIDES

Child labour has often been seen as a completely negative phenomenon. However, it lies in the midst of the moral, social and economic grey area. Although no one can deny the former assertion, the latter puts things into perspective and forces us to look at the other end of the spectrum, especially in the Indian context. This paper tries to break this negative taboo and uncover a fresh perspective where seasonal child labour can be a cure to the long-standing downsides of child labour in general. While there are several existing legislations to combat these downsides, they fail to look at the seasonal absence of a child from his educational pursuits. The pre-existing laws merely propose a blanket ban on the idea of children being involved in work. These provisions work at a national scale, but keeping in mind India's vast diversity, they miss their aim when it comes to seasonal dropouts on the grassroots level. This paper further explores foreign regulations to put forth a fresh policy prescription to address all possible downsides, which may seem evident from the newly suggested model promulgated by the authors.

Prakhar Aditya, Priyansh Pratap Tiwari

DevelopmentProtectionINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex9 Feb 2021

Prevalence and potential consequences of child labour in India and the possible impact of COVID-19 – a contemporary overview

Child labour is a global phenomenon occurring predominantly in countries with lower socioeconomic status and resources. Societal and familial poverty, loss or incapacitation/illness of parents, lack of social security and protection, and ignorance about the value of, or limited access to, education are among the myriad reasons for the involvement of children in the workforce. Child labour is a barrier to the development of individual children and their society and economy. Global estimates indicate that 152 million children (64 million girls and 88 million boys) are working, accounting for almost one in 10 of all children worldwide. Currently the COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market consequences are having a major impact on people's lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, impoverished families and their children are often the first to suffer, which may push many more vulnerable children into child labour situations. Child labour in India is more prevalent than in many other countries, with approximately 10 million children actively engaged in, or seeking, work. This paper focuses on the issue of child labour, its causes and its ill effects. Further, it also reviews the international legal framework relating to child labour and legislative issues in India. There is clearly an urgent need for this issue to be effectively addressed and resolved.

Navpreet Kaur, Roger W. Byard

DevelopmentProtectionINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex6 Apr 2023

Parental Education and Child labour: Evidence from Pakistan

Child labour deprives children of their right to education, resulting in a lack of skills, human capital, and a reduction in future earnings. This study provides a better understanding of child labour by examining its relationship with socio-economic factors. Using PSLM 2019-2020 data, logit estimates show that an increase in the parental level of education reduces the chance of child labour. The well-being measured by the wealth index shows that children from wealthy households are less likely to work. Furthermore, the fathers' employment substitutes, while mothers' employment complements children's work. Girls are less likely to involve in child labour than boys. However, this may be interpreted carefully as girls are primarily engaged in household chores that are not reported. Finally, children from rural areas are more likely to do work than children from urban areas. Similarly, children from Balochistan have a greater chance of child labour than Sindh, Punjab, and KPK.

Zafar Kayani, Nasim Shah Shirazi, Malik Muhammad

DevelopmentProtectionPKRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex7 Jun 2022

The Intergenerational Impacts of War: Bombings and Child Labour in Vietnam

While adverse consequences of war for the generation who lived through the conflict have been well documented in the literature, the intergenerational impacts of war have received far less attention. We provide causal evidence on the impact of bombings during the Vietnam War on the prevalence of child labour among second-generation Vietnamese, defined as those born after the Vietnam War. Our preferred results, which instrument for bombing intensity using distance to the 17th parallel north latitude, suggest that a 10% increase in the intensity of bombings generates a 1.9 percentage point increase in the probability that a child worked in the last 12 months. This result is robust to several checks. We examine several potential channels and find that this relationship is mediated through household poverty.

Sefa Awaworyi Churchill, Russell Smyth, Trong‐Anh Trinh

ProtectionVNRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex19 Feb 2020

Child Labour in India: A Product of Socio-Economic Factors:

Children are considered as the asset of the nation however would a nation develop whose children are working for a one time meal? India is a largest democracy in the world with a strongest legal framework yet it is lacking behind in the field of elimination of the child labour. It is true that child labour in India is a product of Socio-Economic factors and the society is accepting this social evil as a social norm. In India the socio-economic factors are dominating the legislative efforts and safeguards. India judiciary has done a commendable job with its landmark judgements and set a milestone to a good start against this social evil. But if we see the numbers the present status of child labour in India is not good as 152 million children are still in child labour. The International Labour Organization look forward towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 set by the International Community calling for an end to child labour in all its forms by 2025. It is high time now, we must completely participate in achieving the goal to make India free from the curse of child labour.

Nikita Negi, Ashwani Kumar Dwivedi

ProtectionINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex28 Jan 2025

Child labour in Aligarh lock industry

Child labour is a major social problem in the developing countries like India. Millions of Child labour not only removes of all joy of childhood but also crush the right to normal physical and mental development. Child labour is the most mistreated labour class in India. Child labour in unorganised sector is unsecured and backward physically, socio-economically, educationally and in other aspects. Child labour is mostly concentrated in Asia and Africa, which together account for more than 90 % of the total child employment. Asia is led by India which has more than 44 million child labourers and the largest child workforce in the world. Children work to help their families in ways that are harmful and exploitative. This paper focuses on the working, economic, health, problems and vulnerabilities of child labours in Aligarh lock industry. Child labour hampers the normal physical, intellectual, emotional and moral development of a child. Children who are in the growing process can permanently distort or disable their bodies when they carry heavy loads or are forced to adopt unnatural positions at work for long hours. Occupational diseases are mainly caused due to improper management of the occupational health of the workers. The study is mainly based on primary data collected through field surveys. Questionnaire based interviews of child workers household have taken from different wards of the city. Various information of 1000 child workers has been gathered from extensive survey of field investigation. Analysis shows that the conditions of child labour are poor and they are facing many problems, such as low wages, long working hours, abuse, beating and heath problems ,etc.

Parveen S

DevelopmentProtectionINRead at source

Peer-reviewed articleOpenAlex28 Jun 2025

A CRITICAL STUDY ON CHILD LABOUR IN KEONJHAR DISTRICT OF ODISHA

Child labour is still a major issue in many parts of India, including Keonjhar district in Odisha. Even though there are laws like the Factories Act, 1948, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, child labour continues to exist in great numbers. This study looks at why this problem is still going on, focusing on reasons like poverty, insufficient education facilities, and lack of support for families. The research incorporates both primary and secondary data to provide a better understanding of the issue. The research especially highlights child labour in hotels, farms, small shops, and even in households across the district. Using both interviews and government data, the study shows how children are being forced into work at a young age, skipping school and suffering from both physical and mental pressure. The paper points out that while some efforts have been made by the government and NGOs are not sufficient. It suggests stronger and better law enforcement, better schooling opportunities, more consciousness among people, and support for poor families to help stop this problem from growing. Solving this issue in Keonjhar is not just important for the children, but for a better future of the whole world.

Nabaghan Mallick, Mousumi Mahana -

DevelopmentProtectionINRead at source

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COMBATING DANGERS AND SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN IN ONLINE VIDEO GAME ENVIRONMENT

Efficacy and safety of antibiotic agents in children with COVID-19: a rapid review

CORONA VIRUS, CHILD LABOUR AND IMPERFECT MARKET IN INDIA

THE SEASONAL NATURE OF CHILD LABOUR AND ITS FORBIDDEN UPSIDES

Prevalence and potential consequences of child labour in India and the possible impact of COVID-19 – a contemporary overview

Parental Education and Child labour: Evidence from Pakistan

The Intergenerational Impacts of War: Bombings and Child Labour in Vietnam

Child Labour in India: A Product of Socio-Economic Factors:

Child labour in Aligarh lock industry

A CRITICAL STUDY ON CHILD LABOUR IN KEONJHAR DISTRICT OF ODISHA

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