Child labour in Afghanistan

Because of the level of poverty in the country, most of teenagers, and even small children are forced to work and cannot get a education. This is not right. Child should have a typical childhood, go to school, have fun with friends, learn new things and explore their future with endless possibilities. But not there, not in Afghanistan. Poor kids are forced to work demanding physical jobs, they have to take more load and stress than any child of their age could bear, but they do not have any choice. Most of working children have lost their fathers in a war conflict, and their mothers is either ill or are already begging for a piece of bread in the streets everyday.Also women in families which have lost their male breadwinners cannot go out to work due to cultural restrictions — They have to send their children out to work, and the children’s rights are ignored. Overall, 30 per cent of children in one province are able to go to school. Between 15 and 20 per cent of children do heavy labour due to poverty or vulnerability — some are orphans or have disabled parents.

Omid Omid of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission’s southeastern office, said that six million of the nearly 16 million minors in the country faced serious deprivation. “Some 31 per cent of the country’s children are illegally employed in heavy labour as family breadwinners, and 43 per cent of girls get married when they are under age”.

If all of us would pitch in, we could make those children’s life easier, at least by donating some food and basics things they need to work for, to provide for their family. Sadly, there is so less people, willing to help.

But I will not loose my hope to find more good people, who thinks the same way as I do.

Originally published at interestingideasandmymissiontohelp.co.uk on September 8, 2015.