"Child labor has been accepted as a part of the raising pattern in the agricultural setting. However, this job becomes dangerous when it involves exposure to chemical agents like pesticides. Highly toxic pesticides are often used in agricultural work in developing countries. Children are then exposed to these pesticides with the risk of being poisoned. This study reports the results from a 12-year registry of the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health in order to provide evidence of the seriousness of pesticide exposure and its immediate health effects among working children and to promote measures to comply with children´s rights. Data of work-related acute pesticide poisoning cases was obtained from the Pesticide program national database of the Ministry of Health. Variables such as age, gender, cause of poisoning, crops and type of pesticide used was obtained from the 433 cases cited during the 12 years registration. Descriptive analysis was performed and incidence rates are presented.The results showed an average annual incidence rate of 3/100, 000 children and adolescents below 15 years old with cases amongst males being reported with greater frequency. Most incidents involved cash crops; tobacco, basic grains and vegetables, with a majority of the cases related to tobacco work. The exposure produced six deaths in children between the ages of 12 to 15 that came into contact with highly toxic pesticides via spraying crops or cutting recently fumigated tobacco leaves. The spraying was performed by boys and the cutting of tobacco leaves by girls. National legislation prohibited this kind of exposure but was not accomplished. Child labor in agriculture did not comply with current law. In the last decade the country has been developing policies, plans and legislation to protect children rights. When fatal poisonings occurred, measures were taken by the Ministry of Health and the local stakeholders to reinforce pesticide exposure prohibition especially in tobacco plantations. However, there are still more to be done. Awareness should be increased to comply with legislation, restrictions and banning of highly toxic pesticides, and to provide peasant´s families with alternatives to avoid pesticide exposure in order to protect children´s vulnerability."

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