Study on child labour in automobile workshops of Peshawar, Pakistan

To determine the characteristics of children working in car workshops in Peshawar, a descriptive survey was conducted from June to November 2005 of 200 boys (6-15 years) randomly selected from 32 workshops. A questionnaire was used to collect socioeconomic and work-related data. The majority of the boys had no or little education, had started work before the age of 10 years and earned 700 rupees/month. Most of their fathers had little education and were in poorly paid jobs, unemployed or deceased. About 40% of the boys were engaged in mechanical work. Watery eyes (31%), chronic cough (29%) and diarrhoea (22%) were the commonest symptoms reported by the boys and 38% had had a major injury.