“I work here from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Here is his uncle’s workshop. Haydar is only 13 years old, but five years ago the child dropped out of school to work in carpentry. In an Iraq plagued by war and poverty, many have had to trade colored pens and the carelessness of young age for jobs that are often physical, dangerous and informal.
Every day since the age of eight, Haydar has had the task of sweeping the broom, moving beams in the workshop or even working with wood. He pockets just under $20 at the end of the week. Barely enough to support his family. “My parents didn’t want me to drop out of school, but I refused. They ended up accepting. »
In some parts of the country, 90% of households admit to having one or more working children. However, “labour law definitively prohibits the work of children under 15 and punishes anyone who employs children,” says Hassan Abdel Saheb, responsible for the file at the Ministry of Employment and Social Affairs. “We always find cases of child labor in industrial areas, streets and private businesses such as kiosks. »