Shafaq News / A child under the age of ten said with sadness written all over his face that the decision to drop out of school and go to work was made to provide a living for his family.

Children's situation reflects the lifestyle of an entire society. In Iraqi society, child labor is widespread; their pale, sad faces can be seen every day on the sidewalks and at the traffic lights, struggling to make a livelihood.

Breadwinner from a young age

Amir, a mobile vendor in Najaf governorate, told Shafaq News agency that his father is disabled and can not work to support his two sisters and mother. He has nothing but a welfare salary that goes directly as a rental allowance.

Barely ten-year-old Amir said, "Despite the difficulties I face every day in Najaf's streets, the small amount of what I gain from selling water is still significant to support my family."

Amir pointed out that the most difficult thing he faces during his work is rude people and their hurtful words.

As for 14-year-old Rusul, who works in a women's beauty shop, she has been living a bitter reality since childhood for social reasons, "My parents have been separated for years."

She also added, "My childhood dream has become a nightmare. I always dreamt of becoming a nurse to help patients in my country, but I left my home after my father's death," noting that she lives with her grandmother.

Human Rights

The High Commissioner for Human Rights in Iraq, Najaf office, has monitored the phenomenon of child labor in the country and its risks to society.

"There has been an increase in the phenomenon of child labor, with monitoring teams on the child welfare file in Najaf registering a significant increase compared to previous years," UNHCR Director Farazdaq Al-Sagban told Shafaq News agency.

He explained that the reasons for this are, "The economic situation of citizens and its collapse due to the high exchange rates of the dollar against the Iraqi dinar, as well as the phenomenon of students dropping out of the primary, middle, and high schools, and instead used by their parents for hard labor."

"The world's health situation, the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lack of attendance in schools have also prompted parents to engage children in hard work, as well as to use girls and boys for begging, which is a crime of human trafficking," he said.

Al-Sagban also added, "There are no realistic solutions by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, as well as the failure to speed up the passage of the Child Protection Act, which was passed a month ago by the Council of Ministers and went to the council of Representatives for legislation."

Child labor during 2021

Shafaq News agency, obtained a remarkable statistic from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, showed that the number of working children is 155 across Iraq.

"These numbers are only visits to shops and private places, and the rest are not registered with the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs," a media source at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs told Shafaq News agency.

Health problems

"One of the most important diseases that children are exposed to at work is sunstroke, COVID-19 infection, dehydration, and many infectious diseases," said Dr. Ruba Falah, a member of the medical media team at the Ministry of Health.

Iraqi law

"The Constitution required the care of children, family, and motherhood per Article 29 of the Constitution, and labor law 37 of 2015 prohibited the employment of young people under the age of 15," legal expert Ali al-Tamimi told Shafaq News agency.

He also pointed, "This law required the Ministry of Labor in coordination with the Ministry of Interior to prevent child labor, and to warn employers to prevent it per article 95 of the law, and if the violation is insisted on, the matter is referred to the Labor Court to hold employers accountable."