Student
Dissertation 2nd Batch 
Domains of Health for Working Children in a Bihari Camp in Mohammedpur, Dhaka: From the Tangible to the Intangible
Jawaid Stationwala
Abstract
The extent of child labor in the Bihari camp appears to be 2-4 times greater than the national average. Those Bihari children engaged only in work enter the labor force on average at the age of nine and work thirteen hours/day and earn a meager income of 38 taka. These three facts alone have negative health implications for the children as they grow into adulthood. The working children are engaged in various kinds of labor that put them at different risk of incurring cuts, burns, body aches, musuclo-skeletal disorders, and other such work related injuries. Overall general symptoms of illnesses such as fever (p < 0.02), headache, cough, and diarrhea tended to be higher among working children. Working children often remedied their injuries and illnesses using painkillers from the local pharmacist and were found to be 7 times less likely (p < 0.006) than children only going to school to seek treatment in the formal sector. The children’s minor wounds and illnesses had relatively little importance in comparison with their responsibility to support the family. The demanding work schedule and the preoccupation with earning money afforded little recreation time to working children (44% were reported to have absolutely no leisure time, N=18). There was also evidence that some working children engaged in risky behavior (drug abuse and early sexual debut with prostitutes) as an outlet for stress.
