Hazardous Child Labour and Wellbeing Inequality: Structural and Spatial Drivers in North-Western Bangladesh

Abstract

Hazardous child labour remains a major child protection and public health concern in low- and middle-income countries, where structural inequalities and weak institutional safeguards expose children to harmful work. This study examines the spatial and structural drivers of hazardous child labour and associated wellbeing inequalities in north-western Bangladesh. A place-based mixed-methods design was employed, combining household survey data (N = 480 households; 253 working children) with qualitative insights from focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and workplace observations conducted between April and July 2025 in Dinajpur Sadar (peri-urban) and Kaharole (rural). The findings reveal clear spatial variation in hazardous work, with rural children concentrated in agricultural labour and peri-urban children engaged in informal industrial and service activities. Socioeconomic vulnerability, including low parental education and livelihood insecurity, strongly shapes children's labour participation. Hazardous work is associated with multiple forms of wellbeing deprivation, including physical risks, psychological distress and educational disruption. Gendered patterns are also evident, with girls' labour often remaining hidden within domestic settings. Drawing on social reproduction, structural violence, and health geography perspectives, the study conceptualises hazardous work as a structurally produced and spatially differentiated child protection concern. The findings highlight the need for context-specific interventions that address structural inequality, strengthen child protection systems and respond to spatially uneven risks affecting children's safety and wellbeing.