Child labor refers to work by those under 18 that harms health, safety or development. An estimated 215 million children do economic work in sectors like agriculture, construction, manufacturing and services. Children often start work very young and may face long term health issues from carrying heavy loads or chemical exposure including musculoskeletal disabilities. Factors that cause child labor include poverty, lack of schooling, weak laws and cultural traditions. Children doing physical work face higher risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) due to factors like poor posture, heavy loads, long hours and immature bodies. Prevention of MSDs in children includes education, physical exercise, manipulative therapy and improved ergonomics.

1. Musculoskeletal Disorders
related to child labor

2. CHILD LABOUR
• The term “child labour”
refers to work and economic
activities carried out by
persons under the age of 18
years, that harms their
safety, health and wellbeing
and/or hinders their
education, development
and future livelihoods.

3. • An estimated 215 million children (under 18 years of age) carry
out economic activities which qualify as child labour across
occupational sectors as diverse as:
• PRIMARY SECTORS, such as agriculture, fishing, mining,
quarrying and stone breaking;
• CONSTRUCTION AND ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES, such as brick
making;
• MANUFACTURING/INDUSTRY – textiles and garments, sports
goods, carpet weaving, tanneries and leather workshops,
woodworking, paints, metal working, ceramics, glassware,
surgical instruments, fireworks, handicrafts to name but a few;
• SERVICES – hotels, bars, restaurants, fast-food establishments,
tourism and domestic service

4. • Six out of ten child labourers work in agriculture.

5. CHILD LABOUR IN PAKISTAN
 In Pakistan children aged 5-14 are
above 40 million. Approx. 3.8
million children age group of 5-14
years are working in Pakistan
 fifty percent of these economically
active children are in age group of
5 to 9 years. Even out of these 3.8
million economically active
children, 2.7 million were claimed
to be working in the agriculture
sector. 73% of them were said to
be boys

6. • Children often start to work
at a very young age, from as
young as five, in both urban
and rural areas. The work of
these very young children is
often characterized as
“helping out” but begins at
about the age that a child
should be entering primary
school.

7. • An estimated 115 million
children carry out hazardous
child labour. These children
work in jobs where they risk
being killed or injured or can
suffer work-related ill health,
although precise data is
invariably lacking due to
under-reporting of
occupational accidents and
illness.

8. • Long-term health problems due to
working as a child labourer may not
develop or become disabling until the
child is an adult.
• Permanent health problems can include:
musculoskeletal disabilities due to
carrying heavy loads; lung diseases from
exposure to dusts; cancers and
reproductive disorders due to exposure
to pesticides and industrial chemicals.

9. • The effects on health
of long hours, poor
sanitation, stress,
sexual harassment
and violence at work
also need to be
considered.

10. • While child and adult workers in the
same situation face similar hazards,
children are at greater risk from these
dangers as their minds, bodies and
emotions are still developing and they
are less able to protect themselves.
• Child labour can impede children’s
access to education and/or skills
training, and limit their possibilities of
economic and social mobility and
advancement in later life.

11. • Even when working
children attend school
they may be too tired to
concentrate properly and
so their educational
performance suffers and
they fall behind.

12. WHAT CAUSES CHILD LABOUR?
• Poverty
• Low cost of child labour
• Lack of decent schooling
• Lack of controls in smaller workplaces
• Absence of workers’ organizations
• Health and social protection
• Cultural or family traditions
• Lack, or non-enforcement, of regulations and laws

13. MSD RISK FACTORS IN CHILDREN
• Many factors have been suggested to be associated with a
higher risk of MSDs, including
• PHYSICAL FACTORS
• Nutrition and weight
• Lifestyle
Physical (in)activity: In general, both extremes of activity
levels (i.e., very low and very high levels of physical
activity) are associated with back pain or increased injury
risk in children and adolescents, while moderate physical
activity might be protective

14. • Leisure activities: Playground-related injuries and leisure
activities still lead to high numbers of injuries to children
• Lack of sleep: There is a positive association between lack of
sleep and back pain in children and adolescents.

15. • Bad or incorrect postures
Extended sitting: Prolonged sedentary position, especially with
incorrect posture, seems to be associated with lower back pain in
children and adolescents
• Use of electronic devices:
Heavy computer use and mobile phone use is significantly
associated with neck, shoulder, hand/wrist or back pain.

16. • Environmental factors
Warm temperatures could increase the fracture risk in children
• Socioeconomic
• Social Status
• Education
• Infections
• Tumors
• Genetic Predisposition

17. • Physical workload
High physical demands, awkward trunk postures or
extraordinarily long working hours are associated with
musculoskeletal problems in young workers.

18. PREVENTION OF MSDS IN CHILDREN AND
ADOLESCENTS:
Prevention or reduction of musculoskeletal pain:
• Education
• Physical exercise
• Manipulative therapy
• Ergonomics

19. EDUCATION
• In general, education is effective in increasing knowledge and
awareness about musculoskeletal discomfort and pain in children and
young people.
• Nevertheless, increased knowledge does not necessarily lead to
improved behaviour, which is difficult to achieve.

20. PHYSICAL EXERCISES
• Regular exercise and education appear to reduce lower back pain
episodes in children compared with education alone.
• Physical exercises are promising interventions in showing quick
successes in the prevention or reduction of MSDs; for sustainable
effects strict adherence to exercises should be encouraged

21. MANIPULATIVE THERAPY
• Manipulative therapy comprised physiotherapy activities, soft tissue
treatment, chiropractic manipulation and correction of habitual
position
• Manipulative therapy is effective in children with long-lasting or
chronic pain

22. Ergonomics
• Ergonomics comprised specially designed seats, desks, computer
accessories or lifting equipment.

23. • Education to increase knowledge, physical exercise and
ergonomics are intervention measures that individually or in
combination may prevent or reduce musculoskeletal pain in
young workers.