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Summary: In the fight against child labour in Egypt, Terre des hommes has started up a new project to help 4,000 children. Removed from exhausting farm work, they will be able to get back into an improved school system and return to their families, who will benefit from better living conditions.
[31 August 2001] - The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that there are 250 million working children in the world. 120 million of them work every day, and two thirds of these work in the fields – one of the three most hazardous places for the health and safety of the children. They often start working at 5 years old, which blocks any chance they might have of going to school or getting any training for a job, and of having the means to grow and live decently today and in their future. In Egypt there are 7 million working children, 83 per cent of them in rural areas, mainly in the provinces of Assiout, Sohag and Beni Suef. Many families could not do without the money their children bring in. In some homes, the child is the sole source of income. In others, the youngsters have to replace a sick father, under conditions that put their health at risk. And for some business owners, a child represents the cheapest worker, more obedient and malleable than an adult employee. The promulgation of a new law on education aimed at getting the children away from the fields and integrating them into the school system has had little success in the poorest areas. The majority of families do not have the means to pay school costs, others do not agree with what is being taught in the schools – education that does not directly bring in any money. Sometimes, as well, the mediocre quality of the teaching prompts the youngsters themselves to go back to working. In 2011, Terre des hommes held an enquiry in Assiout province, one of the most disadvantaged in Egypt, where more than half the population is poverty-stricken and where 20 per cent of the children work in the agricultural sector. This survey confirmed that “The rights of children working in farming are ignored. They suffer from a lack of protection and are exposed to serious health hazards, especially when labouring the whole day in the full sun, or through the ingestion of pesticides. Some of these children work up to 10 hours a day. Many of them have accidents on the way to their place of work, or are mistreated by their employers.” In view of this situation, Terre des hommes is starting up an action in three districts of Assiout. This new project aims at reducing child labour by improving the systems of education and by helping families to be able to cope with their economic difficulties in other ways. In collaboration with five local NGOs, Tdh intends to help 4,000 children aged 6 to 16 get out of forced work and go back into educational programmes, and to improve the living conditions of 1,000 families. The local governmental authorities and the communities will be directly involved in this project. They will get training courses and learn about how to be able to defend child rights and to strengthen the existing child protection mechanisms. This ‘strategy of getting out’ targets not only removing these children from their labours and ensuring them protection and safety. Thanks to prevention, improvement of the quality of schooling, social and health services, it also has the mission of progressively eliminating the phenomenon of child labour in the three districts of Assiout and of reducing the possibility or will to set the children to jobs that frequently do not respect even the rights of adults. Further Information: