TERZE TEHA

Sulaimani – The Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC) was founded in the Federal Kurdistan Region, where child labor is increasing every day, in 1991 to improve children’s lives. The number of children in child labor in the region is 1.670, 1. 278 of them are boys and 383 of them are girls, according to the data of the KSC. According to the same data, there are 488 child workers in Erbil, 160 in Sulaimani, and 1.022 in Duhok. Although most of them have families, these children are employed in different sectors. Even if the country has a Social Protection Law, there is no law protecting children. In September 2021, a draft law on child protection was submitted to the Council of Representatives by the Iraqi Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs but there has been no process for four months.

Most of them are refugee children

We walked in Sulaimani to see the situation of the working children closely and to record their experiences. Most working children are deprived of education. These children wearing torn clothes and shoes sell bottled water and similar things on the streets. Most of these children are refugees and 12 years old. One of these children told us he had to work because his father was ill. These children start working at 8 am and spend their time on the streets until 7 pm.

He lost his father

A child named İsmail having a family of ten is one of these children. His family came to Sulaimani from Selahattin. He doesn’t go to school. Stating that his father was killed in Selahattin during a clash, İsmail said that he has to work to contribute to his family economy.

Families make their children work

Nasik İsmail, a member of the Kurdistan Save the Children (KSC), told us that they work coordinately with local police and the Sulaimani Governorate to monitor the children's situation closely. Stating that the families make their children work, Nasik İsmail said that they want to prevent them. “Our children are our future. We have to prevent violence against them,” she said.

Project for children

Jiyar Celal, Social Resources Manager in Sulaimani, also spoke to JINHA. She said, “In 2022, we have a project on child labor together with the Kurdistan Save the Children. In this context, we will take children from families, who make their children work and inflict violence against their children.”