Child labor and acute pesticide poisoning in Nicaragua: failure to comply with children's rights.

Since 1995, Nicaragua has adopted several legal instruments to comply with children's rights, including international conventions and a minimum working age of 14 years. However, records from the Ministry of Health's Pesticide Program show continuing occupational acute pesticide poisonings (APP) among children five to 14-years-old from 1995 to 2006. We reviewed and described all reported APPs and estimated the yearly incidence and underreporting rates. Of 2069 APP cases, 432 were occupational. Annual incidence rates (range: 1-4.7/100,000) have been decreasing since 1997. Six fatal and most non-fatal cases were related to work in tobacco and basic grain crops. Based on underreporting data, we estimate actual incidence during the period studied to be 18,516 (95% CI, 3840-33,204) cases among five- to fourteen-year-olds. With regard to child labor and pesticide exposure, children's rights violations still exist and must be abolished in both formal employment and in the informal economy, including in family-based agricultural activities.