LÎNA EL-XETÎB

Idlib- Dozens of children are trying to make a living for themselves and their families by collecting and selling detritus of war in Syria. In Idlib, there are many exploded and unexploded shells and mines. Due to these shells and mines, many children get injured and live with scars on their bodies that will never be erased throughout their lives.

241 civilians, including 114 children and 19 women, were killed in 2021 by landmines and other explosive materials left in previous war zones across Syria, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Children named Hesen, Yusif, and Muhamed, who collect explosive materials and the detritus of war in the countryside of Maeret Misrin in the north of Idlib, work for a warehouse where detritus are stored. These children risk their lives to support their families financially. At the warehouse, they have to carry heavy materials such as shells, bullets, and other weapons.

12-year-old child has to work

Yusif El-Hemud is just 12 years old. “I got a job opportunity in this warehouse. My father cannot work after being injured. I began to work here to support my family financially,” Yusif El-Hemud said that they sometimes have to carry very heavy materials. “We have to earn money to make a living. The owner of the warehouse buys iron pieces from civilians. After separating them, he sells them.”

He wants to go to school

10-year-old Hesen El-Diyab works for the same warehouse. His family was forcibly displaced from Xan Shêxun town to Idlib. He had to drop out of school to support his family. “These days, most children go to school and receive an education. But I cannot go. I have to work day and night.”

Her son lost his legs

44-year-old Ayda El-Amori told us that her 11-year-old son lost his legs while collecting iron pieces in the destroyed houses. “I lost my husband in 2019. For this reason, I had to send my son to work. My son lost his legs as a landmine exploded,” she said.

Children are used as low-cost labor

Community Expert Rana El-Nuayimi said, “Poverty and displacement force thousands of Syrian children to work in various areas, some of them are dangerous. These children try to support their families by working hard for low wages. Many employers use children as low-cost labor. Children are deprived of their right to education.”