ISLAMABAD, July 23: Adverse environmental conditions at the workplace put negative effects on the health of working children, a report published by the Society for Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) has said.

Citing estimates from official sources, the SPARC said that approximately 18 per cent of children in Pakistan in the age group of 10-14 years were working in various fields. However, no reliable data on child labourers under the age of ten were available, it added.

The report said that women and children were especially vulnerable to workplace hazards since they worked informally and had no access to basic occupational health and safety protections.

“Children work in different industries such as textile, clothing, carpet manufacturing, footwear, leather and sport such as football, rugby ball-making industries, etc. In rural areas, they are involved in agricultural work.”

Depending on the type of the work, children are generally exposed to harsh climate, dangerous tools, heavy loads, increasingly toxic chemicals and motorized equipment. Due to their immaturity, children are unaware of the potential risks involved in their specific occupations or at their workplace.

A large number of children are physically injured or fall ill while working. The report said that the injuries sustained by working children included fracture, loss of limbs, burns, skin diseases, sight and hearing impairment, respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses, fever, headaches from excessive heat in the fields or factories.

The report said that prolonged stitching practice from a young age could damage finger joints, cause back pain as well as headache and eye strains. Football-making industry is considered safe since it does not involve exposure to heat, sharp tools, toxic substances, or dust particles that can cause respiratory diseases.

The report said Pakistan played an important role at the 1992 earth summit, known as Agenda 21. Following the summit, Pakistan has done a lot to enhance the process of environmental protection in the country but there is more to be done.

Environmental protection with special emphasis on children was an important part of Agenda 21 and Pakistan needs to provide environmental protection to millions of its children, the SPARC report added.