Children working in Brick Kilns in District Peshawar KPK

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Children are upcoming citizens of the Nation and their adequate development is important for every country. Undesirably, child labor overcomes children through the world.
OBJECTIVE: To study the causes and health hazards of child labour in brick kilns.
METHODOLOGY: It was a cross sectional study conducted at four village of Peshawar. Through simple random sampling a sample of 200 child labours working in various brick kilns was studied. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 20.
RESULTS: In a total of 200 subjects 79% were males and 21% were females with age group between 4-8 years were 25%, 9-11 years 36.5% and 12-14 years 38.5%. 47.5% children were getting PKR 2100-3500/month, 34.5% PKR 3600-5000/month, 13.5% were getting only PKR 500-2000/month. Reasons of working in brick kilns 82.5% were poverty, 7.5% were forced by the guardian’s and 10% were working willingly. Major health hazards which were found in children working in brick kilns were 60% sleep disturbance, 46% had heat syncope, 42.5% heat cramps, 37% heat exhaustion, 33% foreign body injuries to the eye, and 17.5% had heat stroke.
CONCLUSION: Child labour in brick kilns is much more common in KPK. There are different causes that compel the children to work in brick kilns, the main reason is poverty. The different health hazards which are faced by the brick kilns are sleep disturbance, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and fractures. We can reduce these health hazards by providing them health facilities in brick kilns and doing their periodical medical examination and educating them.
KEY WORDS: Brick kilns, Health hazards, Child labour