LONG-TERM HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD LABOUR IN CAMEROON
Fabien Sundjo - St. Monica University and University of Bamenda, Cameroon
Essia Uwem - Regional Director of PAID-WA, Cameroon
Ndamsa Dickson - University of Bamenda, Cameroon
Luc Armand Totoum - University of Dschang, Cameroon
ABSTRACT
Most child labour research, interested in the health consequences, focus on the contemporaneous effects. However, the potential gestation period require for some effect to be noticeable renders such analysis partial. This study therefore attempts to investigate the effect of child labour on their health at adulthood in Cameroon, using individual records of the 2007 Cameroon household consumption survey. In order to pursue this objective; use was made of a standard probit and the ordered probit models. Among the several econometric results, both the standards probit and ordered probit models showed that adults, who worked as children, did not report poor self-assessed health status as they were on the contrary more likely to report better self-assessed health status. This result seems to be comforting, and might justify why parents continue to ignore the legal restriction on the employment of children as stated by the 1992 Labour code and the 1996 constitution of Cameroon.
