YEMEN: Report of Children’s Parliament, 5th Session - child labour

Introduction:
The Children’s Parliament (CP) held its fifth session focusing on the issue of “Child Labor – A Problem That Must Be Solved” from 4-8 August 2007 in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (a German NGO). The session’s proceedings occurred as follows:

Day One
Sat., 4 August 2007:
The first day began with a training session in communication skills. Trainer Muna al-Harithi gave a presentation on the importance of good communication skills, their components and obstacles, and the etiquette of debate. Training included practical examples, pictures, and an overhead projector presentation.
The members of the Children’s Parliament were very impressed with the training and indicated that they acquired the skills they need to conduct dialogues with others.
The training lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Day Two
Sun., 5 August 2007:
On this day, the members of Parliament received training in report writing given by Ms. Ilham al-Kibsi. She provided the definition of a report, describing the different types of reports and their typical contents, as well as how to collect information and present it in the proper format.
The trainees were split into four work groups to write a report on one of the following: The Democracy School, field visits, the previous day’s training course, and the environmental situation in the Capitol after heavy rains.
Each group presented its report using different approaches such as sketches and role-playing, etc. Then the trainer provided her comments on each report and gave the groups time to revise their reports.
The training session was rated as excellent especially due to the practical exercises.
The training lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Day Three
Mon., 6 August 2007:
At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the Children’s Parliament commenced its fifth session with the slogan “Child Labor – A Problem That Must Be Solved”. Youth members of the Children’s Parliament were present, headed by Nada al-Shara’i, President of the Parliament.
1. The session was attended by Mr. Felix Eikenberg, representative of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) organization, and Mr. Mahmood Qayyah, FES program and activity director. They gave a presentation of the FES’ interests, partnerships, and support of other organizations. The representative provided a detailed description of the type of work the FES is involved in and answered questions fielded by members of the CP concerning the FES’ role in reducing child labor. The representative indicated that the organization’s priorities for action are in the fields of human rights, democracy, globalization, and politics.

2. Ministry of the Interior: The session was attended by Major General AbdulRahman al-Barawi, Deputy Minister of the Interior for Services and Police Sector. He clarified the role of the MOI in providing assistance to working children and helping those who are exposed to abuse. He answered the members’ questions saying that the MOI helps victims and punishes those who abuse their rights.
Some members of the CP noted a number of abuses that children are exposed to in institutions run by the MOI, including police stations/temporary jails, but the President of the CP noted that this issue is not part of the session’s agenda.

3. Capitol Secretariat (CS): Mr. Muhammad al-Amri, deputy mayor of the Capitol Secretariat, attended the meeting and discussed the Secretariat’s role in reducing child labor. The CS is currently building a center for working children at a cost of $200,000, which is located across from the Embassy of Cuba. He also answered the children’s questions about the role of the CS in combating child labor, noting that the CS’ center for combating begging is a bad example of unjust arrests of working children. The deputy mayor replied that the CS is currently devising new plans and programs to end child labor. He noted that the municipal works office, that the CP members consider an abuser of child rights, is the agency responsible for determining the locations of marketplaces suitable for youth and that it should implement the law.
At the end of the session, the parliamentarians proposed to nominate three members of the CP to participate in the management of the project for child labor and combating begging, which is funded by the World Bank and other Arab development organizations. As a side topic, the young members brought up the issue of marginalized communities that resist integration into larger society and proposed a field visit to these communities to attempt to encourage integration.

4. The general secretariat of the CP has attempted to communicate with the Ministry of Finance due to its lack of responsiveness in attending CP sessions or even sending a representative to attend. Finally, Mr. Ali al-Shamakh, Director General of State Budgeting at the MOF made a late appearance at the session. He answered the CP members’ questions concerning the level of financial allocations available for youth and children in the public budget.
Evaluation of Session Day One: The CP members commented that the session was exhausting and that the guest speakers provided unconvincing answers to their questions, particularly the Ministry of the Interior. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung organization also indicated that their field of interest does not cover children’s issues. This came as a surprise to the young parliamentarians because FES is concerned with human rights, and children’s rights should not be separate from human rights. The CP members’ impression of the representative from the Capitol Secretariat was generally good, especially after the CS admitted having made some mistakes and expressed their willingness to cooperate in solving issues of working children. The Ministry of Finance arrived late to the session and did not leave enough time for further discussion with the parliamentarians.
At 3:00 p.m., the parliamentarians paid a visit to working children rehabilitation centers. They were provided a detailed description of how the centers recruit children working in the streets and work to promote the development of their skills and talents.

Day Four
Tues., 7 August 2007:
This day’s session began at 9:00 a.m., was headed by Nada al-Shara’i, head of the CP, and attended by the child parliamentarians and representatives of the CP’s general secretariat.
1. The session was attended by Mr. Muhammad Salah, director of the health and work environment department at the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MoSAL). He outlined the progress made by MoSAL in monitoring work environments, as well as the legal clauses and proposals that the department has prepared in an effort to modify the labor law. He also responded to the children’s queries concerning monitoring of the work environment and law enforcement.
2. Ms. Jamilah Ali Raja, director of the international program for the elimination of child labor under the International Labor Organization (ILO), gave a presentation about the ILO’s programs, tasks, and workplans. She also explained the ILO’s capacities including the projects it supports and its partners in government and non-governmental organizations. She noted that the government has not been fulfilling its part in implementing projects, which has led to an annual reduction in financial support. Ms. Raja continued describing the programs that the ILO has implemented, and noted that the government has begun to acknowledge the phenomenon of child labor and that it is a problem that needs a solution.
3. Ms. Safiyyah al-Saayidi, director of the working children rehabilitation center, presented a documentary film about child labor. The film covered the reasons and causes of child labor and detailed the center’s role in the rehabilitation of working children and their reintegration into society.
4. The Swedish Save the Children organization apologized for being unable to attend their portion of the session from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Instead, the young parliamentarians spent this time presenting their own activities, including field visits, implemented during the recess between the previous session and the current one.
Evaluation of Session Day Two: The parliamentarians again commented that the guests’ presentations and answers to their queries were unconvincing, particularly that of MoSAL which was clearly appeared not to be interested in the phenomenon of child labor. As for the ILO, the presenter provided much useful data and information to the benefit of the CP members, giving them a clear picture of how the ILO provides assistance to working children and the government’s role in facilitating such assistance.

Day Five
Wed., 8 August 2007:
The session’s third day started at 9:00 a.m. headed by Nada al-Shara’i, president of the Children’s Parliament.
1. Mr. Anas Muhammad al-Iryani, assistant deputy minister of MoSAL and Mr. Adel Dabwan, director of the advocacy department at MoSAL, and Mr. Abdul Latif al-Hamdani of the High Council for Mothers and Children (HCMC) all attended today’s session.
At the beginning of the session, Mr. al-Iryani described the situation of working children explaining that the cause of this growing phenomenon is high population growth. He also gave a description of the rights granted under the labor law aimed at protecting children from exploitation. He noted that all employers should require a medical examination from their employees, especially children, prior to starting work. He stated that MoSAL had already admitted 52 children to health centers due to their affliction with work-related injuries, but that MoSAL capacities were limited in terms of specialized cadre and financial resources. Also, MoSAL activities with regards to children are still minor because the government only started considering the issue in the year 2000.
2. The Ministry of Human Rights, and its representative Mr. Ismail Abu Huria - director of the civil society organizations management department, excused itself from attending the session.
Instead, FES requested a meeting for Mr. Felix Eikenberg, FES representative. The meeting lasted for one hour and consisted of a discussion of the Children’s Parliament’s needs, the prospects for developing and meeting those needs, and the capacity of FES to support the CP. Many suggestions were made by the young parliamentarians, both to the general secretariat of the CP and to FES.
3. Mr. Yahya al-Kuhlani, member of the Shura (Consultative) Council representing the committee for rights and liberties, attended the session from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and gave a brief introduction of the Shura Council’s role in preparing a special report on the conditions of children in the country. This report was mandated by the President, submitted to the Prime Minister, and proposed action for the revision of many laws that are unsuitable to the needs of children.

With this the Children’s Parliament’s fifth session, supported by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung organization, concluded under the motto: “Child Labor – A Problem That Must Be Solved”. The members of the Children’s Parliament assembled the following recommendations:
• Establish a welfare fund in all governorates to assist poor families and improve the quality of living.
• Implement awareness-raising campaigns through audio and visual media emphasizing the dangers of child labor.
• Pass legislation to punish families who push children into dangerous labor.
• Assist poor children so that they can afford the basic necessities of education.
• Increase MoSAL support for poor families so that they can attain the basic necessities for living.
• Establish orphanages in the governorates that do not have any so that the orphans do not have to resort to begging.
• All pertinent agencies should enforce laws concerning child labor, and international labor agreements should be incorporated in the Yemeni labor law.
• The capitol secretariat should close the center located in al-Hatarish for combating begging since it violates children’s liberties.
• MoSAL should reevaluate and raise the amounts paid to recipients under the social welfare program.
• All relevant agencies should monitor any establishments where children work to ensure a safe work environment for children.
• All relevant agencies should assist street children by establishing or providing proper centers for shelter.
• The capitol secretariat should train and qualify municipality workers in the proper treatment of children.
• The relevant agencies should integrate international laws and agreements relating to children into the school curriculum.
• Establish training and education centers for working children in all governorates.
• Give priority to activating current laws rather than formulating new laws which encourage child labor.
• Pressure the government to reevaluate its approach to child labor through awareness raising, field visits, and educational camps.
• Seek support from donor agencies and countries to combat the phenomenon of child labor. Utilize all audio, video, and educational methods to implement awareness-raising and educational campaigns aimed at raising the cultural and social standards of families and familiarizing them with their legal rights.
• Establish health centers in shelters and temporary jails in order to implement medical check-ups for street children and returned smuggled children upon admittance.
• Train children in schools in first aid; provide free medicines for poor families; allow free admittance for all children to government-run hospitals; ensure hygienic environment in hospitals.
• Assign a pediatrician (child specialist) to every school.
• Implement intensive awareness-raising campaigns on the importance of cleanliness, how to maintain it, and the dangers of neglecting it.
• Implement awareness-raising campaigns on the dangers of smoking and chewing qat by children.
• Support the development of a training manual and provision of trainers from the Ministry of Education to educate children on the dangers of child labor and how to prevent it.
• Implement constant follow-up by MoSAL of care centers and homes for orphans and juveniles.
• Ensure sufficient budgets for working children rehabilitation centers.
• Revise the juvenile law and raise the legal age to 18.
• Punish child smugglers.
• All CP recommendations, former, present, and future, should be applied and implemented.

President and Members of the Children’s Parliament

8 August 2007