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This Saturday June 12 marks the World Day against Child Labor. According to the latest estimates, around 160 million children are working worldwide today, an increase of 8.4 million over the past four years. In Iraq, the number of child laborers continues to rise, due to conflict, forced displacement, economic challenges and more recently, the pandemic.
With our correspondent in Baghdad, Lucile Aquarius
On the outskirts of Baghdad, dozens of kids are at work: selling handkerchiefs, washing windshields, distributing gasoline … Whether they are 6 or 13 years old, they are busy under a blazing sun.
Henrick, a 48-year-old Iraqi civil servant, spends the majority of his free time here helping parents financially. And prevent them from sending their children to the streets. Here, we call him “Santa Claus”.
« How are you, my darling? Henrick asks a young boy. ” It’s okay », Answers the latter. ” How old are you – Uh … 10 years! – 10 years old and you don’t go to school? – No, I pick up cans in the street. »
A widespread activity among children, who then resell the metal. The mother of the little boy, at his side, explains that she has little choice: “ I know they want to go back to school. But I don’t even have the money to buy them clothes, pants, books … Everyone here is going through the same situation. »
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« They deal with gangsters »
Henrick doesn’t blame her, but worries: odd jobs can quickly become dangerous in Iraq. ” There are children who work to bring money back to their parents, but there are also those who work for mafias, networks, which include very important people. These kids take big risks, because they deal with gangsters, alcoholics, drug addicts. »
More than a million children were already working in Iraq before the coronavirus crisis. A figure that could well increase after an increase in poverty in the country.
► Read also: Child labor on the rise for the first time in Africa in 20 years
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