Background

Child maltreatment is a global health concern, which adversely affects millions of children. Among them, child laborers are highly susceptible to maltreatment due to their economic vulnerability and workplace practices.

Objectives

This review seeks to identify the extent, risk factors and psychological impairments associated with the maltreatment of child laborers in four South East Asian countries.

Methods

A scoping review was adopted, in accordance with the PRISMA framework. Scopus, Medline, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Web of Sciences, and grey literature from relevant institutional websites were searched. Search date parameters were 1960–2020. A thematic synthesis and a proportion test were adopted to analyse data.

Results

A total of 9 studies were retrieved. The physical maltreatment against child laborers (15.14 %) was found across all studies with high heterogeneity (from 2.3%–73.27%). The prevalence of emotional maltreatment was more than three times that of physical abuse. Sexual abuse rate was measured (16.82 %) followed by neglect against child laborers (12.9 %). Witness victimization, financial exploitation, forced work, and work intensification were also observed as notable forms of maltreatment. A thematic analysis suggests that the victims and caregivers’ characteristics and socio-cultural practices are strong predictors of maltreatment. Parental dysfunctions were also associated with rates of child labor victimization followed by poverty. The review found maltreated children were often traumatized and manifest specific phobias (38.79 %), social phobias (30.2 %), conduct disorders (20.6 %), and obsessions (18.21 %), which are significantly associated (p < 0.05) across studies.

Conclusions

While the methodical study base is limited, the results of this review can inform further research on violence against child laborers.

中文翻译：

---

在四个南亚国家的背景下虐待童工的普遍性和影响：范围审查

背景

虐待儿童是一个全球性的健康问题，对数百万儿童产生不利影响。其中，童工因其经济脆弱性和工作场所惯例而极易受到虐待。

目标

本综述旨在确定东南亚四个国家与虐待童工相关的程度、风险因素和心理障碍。

方法

根据 PRISMA 框架，通过了范围界定审查。搜索了 Scopus、Medline、PsycINFO、ProQuest、Web of Sciences 和来自相关机构网站的灰色文献。搜索日期参数为 1960-2020 年。采用专题综合法和比例检验法进行数据分析。

结果

共检索到 9 项研究。在所有具有高异质性（2.3%–73.27%）的研究中都发现了对童工的身体虐待（15.14%）。情感虐待的流行率是身体虐待的三倍多。测量了性虐待率 (16.82 %)，其次是对童工的忽视 (12.9 %)。目击者受害、经济剥削、强迫工作和工作集约化也被视为虐待的显着形式。一项专题分析表明，受害者和照顾者的特征和社会文化习俗是虐待的有力预测因素。父母功能障碍也与童工受害率以及贫困率有关。审查发现，受虐待的儿童经常受到创伤并表现出特定的恐惧症 (38.79 %)，

结论

虽然有条不紊的研究基础有限，但本次审查的结果可以为进一步研究暴力侵害童工提供信息。