Public health importance of child labour-related injuries in Mongolia: A comparison with Canada

Child labour environments with significant health problems leading to non-fatal and fatal injuries are the pooled consequence of unsatisfactory work conditions and unhealthy behavior which may be cultivated by such circumstances. In Mongolia, nomadic herder children are susceptible to child labour-related injuries and most child laborers work in agriculture subsectors such as animal husbandry. Injury is the third-ranking cause of all Mongolian children's morbidity and the leading cause of children's mortality. Based on Chi-square test and odds ratio analysis, herder children were at increased risk of serious injury including head/neck trauma and bones broken while horse riding. The principal child labour-related risk factor is riding horses for multiple chores. Psychosocial factors contribute to work stress and may further predispose these young workers to injury. Such injuries are of great public health importance in children's health. Evaluation of Canadian youth employment policy holds promise as a possible model for decreasing unsafe child labour and its deleterious effects in Mongolia.;Keywords: public health, child labour, injury, psychosocial factor.