Suitability of Measurement Tools for Assessing the Prevalence of Child Domestic Work: A Rapid Systematic Review

Child domestic work (CDW) is a hidden form of child labour. Globally, there were an estimated 17.2 million CDWs aged 5–17 in 2012, but there has been little critical analysis of methods and survey instruments used to capture prevalence of CDW. This rapid systematic review identified and critically reviewed the measurement tools used to estimate CDWs in Low- and Middle-Income Countries, following PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO registration: CRD42019148702). Fourteen studies were included. In nationally representative surveys, CDW prevalence ranged from 17% among 13–24-year-old females in Haiti to 2% of children aged 10–17 in Brazil. Two good quality studies and one good quality measurement tool were identified. CDW prevalence was assessed using occupation-based methods (n = 9/14), household roster (n = 7) and industry methods (n = 4). Six studies combined approaches. Four studies included task-based questions; one study used this method to formally calculate prevalence. The task-based study estimated 30,000 more CDWs compared to other methods. CDWs are probably being undercounted, based on current standard measurement approaches. We recommend use of more sensitive, task-based methods for inclusion in household surveys. The cognitive and pilot testing of newly developed task-based questions is essential to ensure comprehension. In analyses, researchers should consider CDWs who may be disguised as distant or non-relatives.

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Variability in Health Care Quality Measurement among Studies Using Service Provision Assessment Data from Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.4269/ajtmh.19-0644 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 103 (3) ◽

pp. 986-992

Author(s):

Corrina Moucheraud ◽

Kaitlyn McBride

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Care ◽

Service Provision ◽

Health Care Quality ◽

Quality Measurement ◽

Care Quality ◽

Assessment Data ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Health Care Quality Measurement

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Child Domestic Work, Violence, and Health Outcomes: A Rapid Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph19010427 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (1) ◽

pp. 427

Author(s):

Aye Myat Thi ◽

Cathy Zimmerman ◽

Nicola S. Pocock ◽

Clara W. Chan ◽

Meghna Ranganathan

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Emotional Abuse ◽

Domestic Work ◽

Well Being ◽

Physical Punishment ◽

Middle Income ◽

Work Related ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Private Households

This rapid systematic review describes violence and health outcomes among child domestic workers (CDWs) taken from 17 studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Our analysis estimated the median reported rates of violence in CDWs aged 5–17-year-olds to be 56.2% (emotional; range: 13–92%), 18.9% (physical; range: 1.7–71.4%), and 2.2% (sexual; range: 0–62%). Both boys and girls reported emotional abuse and sexual violence with emotional abuse being the most common. In Ethiopia and India, violence was associated with severe physical injuries and sexual insecurity among a third to half of CDWs. CDWs in India and Togo reported lower levels of psycho-social well-being than controls. In India, physical punishment was correlated with poor psycho-social well-being of CDWs [OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 3.2–4; p < 0.0001]. Across the studies, between 7% and 68% of CDWs reported work-related illness and injuries, and one third to half had received no medical treatment. On average, children worked between 9 and 15 h per day with no rest days. Findings highlight that many CDWs are exposed to abuse and other health hazards but that conditions vary substantially by context. Because of the often-hidden nature of child domestic work, future initiatives will need to be specifically designed to reach children in private households. Young workers will also benefit from strategies to change social norms around the value and vulnerability of children in domestic work and the long-term implications of harm during childhood.

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Factors Associated With Violence Against Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression of Nationally Representative Data

Trauma Violence & Abuse ◽

10.1177/1524838020985532 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 152483802098553

Author(s):

Ilan Cerna-Turoff ◽

Zuyi Fang ◽

Anne Meierkord ◽

Zezhen Wu ◽

Juan Yanguela ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Sexual Violence ◽

Physical Violence ◽

Middle Income ◽

Violence Against Children ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Meta Regression ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Low And Middle Income

Background: This systematic review and meta-regression sought to identify the relative importance of factors associated with physical, emotional, and sexual violence against children in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding of factors associated with violence is important for targeted programming and prevention on the population level. Methods: We searched 17 electronic databases from 1989 to 2018 and reports from child violence surveys. Nationally representative studies that described evidence on potential factors associated with violence against children under 18 years old were included. The search was restricted to the English language. Factors were synthesized quantitatively using robust variance estimation, with 95% confidence intervals, for each violence type. Results: We identified 8,346 unduplicated studies, and 103 publications met our eligibility criteria. The data distribution was uneven across region, country income status, factors, and violence types. Of the 94 eligible studies quantitatively synthesized, no specific factors were significant for physical violence. Lower household socioeconomic status, being a girl, and primary education of mothers and adults in the household were associated with emotional violence, and being a girl was associated with sexual violence. Conclusion: A broad spectrum of factors merit consideration for physical violence policy and prevention among the general population of children in low- and middle-income countries. Conversely, a tailored approach may be warranted for preventing emotional and sexual violence. Information is unequally distributed across countries, factors, and violence types. Greater emphasis should be placed on collecting representative data on the general population and vulnerable subgroups to achieve national reductions in violence against children.

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Measurement and prevalence of sexual harassment in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-047473 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. e047473

Author(s):

Meghna Ranganathan ◽

Joyce Wamoyi ◽

Isabelle Pearson ◽

Heidi Stöckl

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Sexual Harassment ◽

Low Income ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Measurement Tool ◽

Middle Income ◽

Middle Income Countries ◽

Prevalence Estimates

ObjectivesWe synthesise evidence on sexual harassment from studies in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) to estimate its prevalence and conduct a meta-analysis of the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms.MethodsWe searched eight databases. We included peer-reviewed studies published in English from 1990 until April 2020 if they measured sexual harassment prevalence in LMICs, included female or male participants aged 14 and over and conceptualised sexual harassment as an independent or dependant variable. We appraised the quality of evidence, used a narrative syntheses approach to synthesise data and conducted a random effects meta-analysis.ResultsFrom 49 included studies, 38 focused on workplaces and educational institutions and 11 on public places. Many studies used an unclear definition of sexual harassment and did not deploy a validated measurement tool. Studies either used a direct question or a series of behavioural questions to elicit information on acts considered offensive or defined as sexual harassment. Prevalence was higher in educational institutions than in workplaces although there was high heterogeneity in prevalence estimates across studies with no international comparability. This posed a challenge for calculating an overall estimate or measuring a range. Our meta-analysis showed some evidence of an association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms (OR: 1.75; 95% CI: 1.11 to 2.76; p=0.016) although there were only three studies with a high risk of bias.ConclusionTo our knowledge, this is the first systematic review to assess measurement approaches and estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment across settings in LMICs. We also contribute a pooled estimate of the association between sexual harassment and depressive symptoms in LMICs. There is limited definitional clarity, and rigorously designed prevalence studies that use validated measures for sexual harassment in LMICs. Improved measurement will enable us to obtain more accurate prevalence estimates across different settings to design effective interventions and policies.

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