Impediments to the elimination of child labor : A critical review of child labor policies and laws of Liberia

Child labor is a pressing issue in Liberia, as it is in many other developing countries. Poverty is a significant factor that drives child labor in Liberia, as many families rely on the income generated by their children to survive. While the government has developed numerous policy interventions and laws to address the issue, recent reports show that the prevalence of child labor within the ages of 5-17 is still very high This study aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness of governments efforts by critically examining key policies and laws set up by government in relation to established international legal standards to combat the scourge. It relies on Bacchi's "What's the problem represented to be?" (WPR) policy analysis approach.The analysis revealed that there are gaps in policy and law that has stalled government‟s efforts in achieving its resolution to reducing the prevalence of child labor. The minimum age for employment is below international standards, hazardous work is allowed for children aged16 and above, domestic work is not included in the list of hazardous work, light work is not defined or regulated, and penalties for violating child labor laws are weak. In addition, enforcement of child labor laws is weak, particularly in the informal sector, where most child labor takes place.These gaps are incompatible with international standards hindering progress towards eliminating child labor in the country. This study argues that effective policies are crucial to child labor elimination in Liberia, without which children will continue to be engaged in exploitative work which puts them at risk and denies them of their fundamental human rights

Impediments to the elimination of child labor : A critical review of child labor policies and laws of Liberia

Child labor is a pressing issue in Liberia, as it is in many other developing countries. Poverty is a significant factor that drives child labor in Liberia, as many families rely on the income generated by their children to survive. While the government has developed numerous policy interventions and laws to address the issue, recent reports show that the prevalence of child labor within the ages of 5-17 is still very high This study aims to critically evaluate the effectiveness of governments efforts by critically examining key policies and laws set up by government in relation to established international legal standards to combat the scourge. It relies on Bacchi's "What's the problem represented to be?" (WPR) policy analysis approach.The analysis revealed that there are gaps in policy and law that has stalled government‟s efforts in achieving its resolution to reducing the prevalence of child labor. The minimum age for employment is below international standards, hazardous work is allowed for children aged16 and above, domestic work is not included in the list of hazardous work, light work is not defined or regulated, and penalties for violating child labor laws are weak. In addition, enforcement of child labor laws is weak, particularly in the informal sector, where most child labor takes place.These gaps are incompatible with international standards hindering progress towards eliminating child labor in the country. This study argues that effective policies are crucial to child labor elimination in Liberia, without which children will continue to be engaged in exploitative work which puts them at risk and denies them of their fundamental human rights

Susceptibility of Anopheles gambiae complex to carbamates and organophosphate insecticides in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Rapid emergence in insecticide resistance among malaria vector populations to commonly used public health insecticides poses a challenge to current malaria vector control strategies and interventions in sub- Saharan Africa. This study was conducted to determine the susceptibility status of female An.gambiae s.l to Propoxur (0.01%) and bendiocarb (0.1%) (carbamate) and pirimiphosmethyl (0.25%) (organophosphate) insecticides in Uyo Metropolis, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The larvae of An. gambiae s.l were collected from natural water bodies and other potential breeding sites from different sites in Uyo Metropolis. Insecticide susceptibility bioassays were performed according to the World Health Organization standard operating procedures on 2-3 days old, sugar-fed but none blood fed female Anopheles mosquitoes. Post exposure mortality after 24 hours and knockdown values for KDT50 and KDT95 were calculated. Knock-down at 1 hour insecticide exposure ranged from 94 % to 100 %. Mortality after 24 hours post exposure was 100% for all insecticides except Propoxur which was 98 %. There was high variability in KDT50 and KDT95 values (in minutes) with propoxur (4.337 and 15.620), Bendiocarb (9.523 and 20.996) and pirimiphosmethyl (39.908 and 61.722) respectively. Adopting the WHO criteria, the mosquitoes were not resistant to any of the insecticides tested. The results therefore showed that vector control campaigns employing the use of any of these insecticides in the study area would not be compromised. However, there is need for continued monitoring to ensure early detection of resistance. Keywords: Anopheles gambiae; insecticide susceptibility; Uyo; Akwa Ibom State; Nigeria

A study of anemia in women with asymptomatic malaria parasitaemia at their first antenatal care visit at the General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

AbstractObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of anemia and asymptomatia malaria parasitemia and the effect of prior antimalarials therapy on the parasite density in pregnant women at their first antenatal visit at the secondary level health care facility in Nigeria.MethodsThis cross sectional observational study was carried out in the antenatal clinic of General Hospital, Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria for 3 months period (1st June to 31st August, 2009). Five hundred and fourteen women attending their first antenatal registration visits in the hospital were recruited in the study. Socio-demographic information was obtained using pre-tested questionnaires. The malaria parasite was obtained by examining thick and thin blood films prepared on 2 glass slides while the hematocrit was obtained through 2 capillary tubes read by a Hawksleys microhematocrit reader.ResultsA total of 514 pregnant women participated in the study with a mean maternal age of 21.4 years and a mean gestational age at booking of 18.3 weeks. The primigravid women booked at significantly lower gestational age than multigravidae (16.2 weeks vs 21.6 weeks). Most of the women (59.3%) were anemic, out of which 60.4% were primigravida. More than half of the women had moderate to high parasite density and only 6.8% had no malaria parasitemia. All patients with severe anemia were parasitemic. Out of the 479 (93.2%) women with parasitemia, a third had taken antimalarial drugs. A majority (60.3%) of those without prior antimalarial drugs had moderate to high density parasitemia.ConclusionsThis study shows high prevalence of anemia in women with asymptomatic malarial parasitemia, particularly the primigravida. The severity of anemia is directly related to the density of malaria parasitemia. Those with effective antimalarial therapy appear to have low density parasitemia and therefore mild anemia. Routine screening for anemia and malaria parasites at booking, prompt parasite clearance and correction of anemia would reduce the associated maternal and perinatal complications