Health Risks and Morbidity Patterns Among Child Laborers in Chattogram: A Sociological Analysis of Social Class and Workplace Hazards

Abstract

The present study tries to reveal the socio-economic status, health risks and the morbidity patterns of child laborers. Similarly, to explore whether there is any connectivity among social class, workplace hazards and morbidity patterns of child laborers. The study was conducted in Chattogram from July to December, 2024 and both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed. A total of 174 respondents were purposively selected for data collection. Data were collected through interviews and case study methods. Three major sociological perspectives-Structural Functionalism, Conflict, and Symbolic Interactionism were used in analyzing data. The study reveals that child laborers originate from low economic status, forced to work under extreme physical and mental pressure, while having no entertainment. The problems they mostly face at the workplace are heavy workload, loud noise, boiling hot, untidy and unhygienic environment at workplace. Though male child laborers are mostly involved in hazardous jobs, female child laborers face more susceptibility due to their genital health vulnerability. 97% of the respondents struggle with backache, muscle pain, tiredness, while 84.3% contracted any disease in the last 6 months of the interview. Furthermore, almost all the diseases they suffer from are infectious, which are connected to their socio-economic status and workplace hazards.