By: Adnan al-Duqaimi

Translated by: Anisa Mu'id 


SANA'A, July 11 (Saba) – Child labor is greatly increasing despite state's efforts to limiting it. During the recent few years, it has become a danger to the future of children in particular and to all Yemeni society in general.

Children are spreading in streets, corridors and crossroads looking for food instead of having protection and attention from concern bodies.

Mohammed Nasser, 14 years, decided to leave school and join labor market. He has two problems the first he left the school without the knowledge of his parents who said they do their best to provide him and his brothers with all they need. The second problem is that Mohammad started chewing qa while he was younger.

Because he has recently felt sorry for leaving his school due to the suffering he used to find in work, he does not think to come back to his school as he believes that education will not bring something new to his living citing the many graduates do not have jobs.

Up to 40 children victims in one school


"I have left school at fifth class with 40 of my friends because of problem between our villagers and the school staff," said Munawar al-Khameri, 13, who sells belts in Attahrir square in the capital Sana'a.

Munawar explains the problem bitterly that he along with other 40 children from Al-Akhmour village, Taiz were the victims of the problem between the school staff and the locals when the staff intentionally failed them three years in sequence.

Consequently, Munawar and his colleagues left the school for ever.

Monawar works all a day and part of night to collect only YR 700 a day; he was sometimes hit by his uncle and others in a street without cause.

He wants to return to school and was advised to do so and at the same time maintain his work. But his father refused because Munawar and his elder brother are ordered by their father to give him a sum of money every month because he become old and cannot work.
Children working in selling newspapers, merchandise and other things all the time are encountering violence, traffic accidents, bad ethics and long working hours as well as drugs, addiction and psychological disturbances.

Ineffective government decisions

At al-Azraqain dump located in the capital Sana'a, there are so many children working in collecting wastes for recycling purposes. Despite the risks they are subjected to, they get only few revenues are not enough to their basic needs.

According to doctors, these children are subjected to health dangers like injuries, dangers of medical wastes, infection with diseases, inhaling bad smells, infection with parasites, eating wastes of food, tetanus, food poisoning, TB and physical diseases.

Although governmental decree No 56 for 2004 bans employing children under 18 years in dangerous works, implementation for child rights laws and relating laws and world conventions approved by Yemen are not implemented in these cases.

These banned works include collecting wastes, working in workshops such as of stones, wood, iron, and glasses saws, working in repairing cars, fishing, diving and paring fish by sharp tools, taking children in armed conflicts, working in public toilets and so on. Even though many children are still working in these dangerous jobs because of there is no awareness and supervision.

Weakness of safety network

Child Labor increased because of economic and social situations Yemen has witnessed since the First Gulf War in 1990 which forced many expatriating families to come back to the country. The latest statistic of number of children working in labor market issued in 1999 indicates that there were 420,000 child laborers in Yemen. But experts and activists affirm that the number exceeding million.

Director of child-labor unit at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Mona Salem said this number is not correct; pointing out the ministry has not accurate data regarding the figure of child labor.

The next survey of child labor to be implemented in cooperation with International Labor Organization, Social Fund for Development and UNESCO will discover the real number. This survey was scheduled to be carried out in 2008 but delayed because of lack of financing.

Specialists and experts refer child labor to decreasing the averages of economic growth, lower income, limited work opportunities and absence of investment.

Unequal in distributing incomes between social categories, population growth, unemployment and incapability of insurance network and civil society efforts are other main reasons.

Poor education services, economy deterioration, social problems and lack of legislations are behind the lower level of children joining school. Children aged 6-15 in school do not exceed 45 percent.


Grave phenomenon

In this regard, professor of psychology at College of Arts in Sana'a University Abd al-Jaleel al-Tameemi said that child labor is serious one, as there are evidences on them to do tough actions while in small ages.

Their rights in education, natural growth, enjoying their childhood in all stages which approved in all divine and human made legislations such as protection, sympathy and guidance are not considered.

However, some observers believe that that the majority of world legislations do not ban child labor but give children space to practice their hobbies, with defining work period, rest, medication, insurance and education. However, Yemeni legislations do not included most of these things so that concerned bodies have to amend related laws to cope with world ones in this regard.

Deficiency in development policies

An official study discovered that child labor is a reason of deficiency in developing policies, and children working in agriculture hinder developing projects in rural areas. Furthermore child labor forms challenge for future human development plans because worker children encounter dangers make them unable to contribute in future human development.

A study on child labor in agricultural and reasons behind this issued in 2009 by Yemeni Center for Social Studies and Work Research was done on 371 children. These children represent six districts, in governorates of Ibb, Abyan, Taiz, Hudeida, Dhamar and Sana'a.

The study indicated that 63, 4 percent of children start work while they are between six- nine years. 78,2 percent out of them attend school while 21, 8 do not join school. The study also found that rural families do not consider education as human investment or factor or social development factor.

Lower wages and abuse

The study affirms that 71, 1 percent of children have no rest time or not enough break during a day, not getting food at all or not enough or absence of protecting means during work.

Most of children suffer from not getting low wages do not fit their effort, some are subjected to hitting, insulted and molested during work, they do not inform the concerned bodies fearing of scandal, being fired from work, not getting just verdict, or because the offenders are relatives.

Furthermore, the study finds that 33, 2 percent of children were ordered to spray chemical on plants, so that 45, 5 percent suffer health problems and 17,9 percent do not receive treatment, and all those who get treatment they pay for the medication from their pockets or of their families not by work owners.

Fund not reached us

On Anti- Children Labor plan for 2008-2009, Director of Child Labor Unit at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor Mona Salem said that we are recently working on it.
"We are giving specification to the projects of capacity building and awareness," she said.
"This week we are starting second training course in Taiz for work inspectors from 15 governorates."

She added that they have started implementing the plan since 2009 in cooperation with CHF organization because of the delay of receiving fund they got only in 2008.

Concerning implementing 2010 plan, she said they started the work in cooperation with International Labor Organization and the implementation of plan for current 2010 will be in cooperation with International Labor Organization.

She added that government's measures are still not enough to limit child labor because of spreading poverty, raising prices and not solving education problems. However, she pointed out that awareness among families on child labor's dangers is rising.

"Social Affairs and Labor Ministry is still in a phase of approving and amending child laws", she indicated.
She added that the unit targeted more than 3,000 workers of children by the end of 2009 in cooperation with CHF organization in Aden, Taiz, Hajja and Hudeidah. These governorates contain the greatest numbers of child laborers.

Recommendations for treatment

The previous study recommended revising legislations to meet the constitution which stipulates that primary education is free and obligatory so that children's fathers must be forced to bring their children to school.

The constitution also stipulates on making accurate and detailed information about children working in agricultural sector, spreading industry in rural areas and encouraging CSOs in this field.

The study stressed that social security should be linked to family's commitments to educate their children; making measures limiting unqualified laborers to cities and encouraging handicrafts production in rural areas to keep workers in their villages.

Encouraging fluorescent activities

The director of Child Labor Unit urged on intensifying fluorescent activities, discarding violence in school. While the studies affirm that eradicating child labor is impossible under such economic and social situations, therefore solution of poverty was considered the best key solutions to limit child labor.