17 a day (Munthali, 2000). Some of the work that children partake in includes carrying heavy loads, spraying chemicals, applying fertilizer, planting, weeding, and harvesting. They are also exposed to dangerous chemicals and substances when they are working. In tobacco plantations, for example, children are exposed to nicotine which affects their respiratory systems and causes other respiratory defects. Economic stance is seen as one of the greatest contributions to child labor and other forms of child abuse. This is evident as cases of child abuse are higher in less developed countries than in developed countries as in developing countries children are used as a unit of production. The higher rates of child labor in developing countries are also due to inadequate availability of necessary social institutions like schools where children could spend some time at. On the other hand, when parents cannot afford the cost of schooling, children stay home and are more likely to be abused.
Just like any other African and developing countries, in Malawi there is a large younger population as compared to developed countries due to higher levels of fertility. As Mathias observes that due to the HIV and AIDS epidemic in most African countries there has been an increase in mortality that has led to more children becoming orphans. These orphans in most cases are left poor as such they have to find their own means of living by working even in hazardous conditions. It has been observed that child labor is mostly preferred because the children are easy to control and are less demanding than adults. Additionally, child labor is cheap a thing that pleases owners of plantations, estates and other businesses as they are interested in maximizing their profits by using cheap labor in their production.
Another form of child abuse that has hit the Malawian community badly is sexual harassment. Child sexual harassment can be defined as the case in which a child is forced and used for sexual gratification of an adult.