Small hands, heavy Burden – How the Syria Conflict Is Driving More Children to Work

The purpose of 2015 UNICEF & Save the Children Report   is to shed light on the plight of working children and influence a bold discussion on strategies to address the phenomenon. Drawing on assessments and studies undertaken in countries affected by the Syria crisis, it examines the implications for children, and proposes a set of recommendations for stakeholders to consider that could reduce the impact of child labour among Syrian children, and help them reclaim their childhood.

… Before its disastrous plunge into crisis and armed conflict, Syria was a middle-income country capable of providing a decent living for most of its people. Almost all children went to school, and literacy rates were above 90%1.

Four and a half years into the crisis, four out of five Syrians are estimated to be living in poverty2 and 7.6 million people are internally displaced3.

By the end of 2014, the unemployment rate had almost quadrupled to reach 57.7%4. Neighbouring countries are also suffering the consequences of what has become a regional crisis, struggling to cope with an influx of four million refugees, about half of whom are children5.

Children’s lives have been profoundly affected by the crisis. Inside Syria, children are exposed to escalating violence and indiscriminate attacks, and the trauma they bring with them. Some have been forced to take up arms. Too many have lost loved ones or had to flee their homes and communities, sometimes multiple times. Syria’s children are paying a heavy price for the world’s failure to put an end to the conflict.

Child labour was a fact of life in Syria prior to the war, but the humanitarian crisis has greatly exacerbated the problem. As a result, many children are now involved in economic activities that are mentally, physically or socially dangerous and which limit – or deny — their basic right to education. In its most extreme forms — such as child recruitment by armed forces and groups, or sexual exploitation — child labour is a grave violation of children’s rights.

The Syria crisis has dramatically reduced livelihood opportunities and impoverished millions of households in the region. Whether in Syria or neighbouring countries, children are often the main – or even the sole — breadwinners. In Jordan, 47% of refugee households say they rely partly or entirely on income generated by a child6.

Some 2.7 million Syrian children are currently out of school, a figure swollen by children who are forced to work instead. The limited access these children have to quality education is part of the problem; moreover, children who work are more likely to drop out of education.

As the economic circumstances of families become more desperate, the working conditions in which children find themselves are worsening.

In Jordan, for example a majority of working children in host communities work six or seven days a week; one-third work more than eight hours a day. Their daily income is between US$4 and US$77. Children also start working very young, often before the age of 12. In some parts of Lebanon, children as young as six are being put to work8.

Harmful work hurts children’s bodies as well as their prospects in life. Around 75% of working children in the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan reported health problems; almost 40% reported an injury, illness or poor health9;9 35.8% of children working in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley are unable to read or write10. Boys and girls involved in harmful work miss out on their childhood.

Child labour represents one of the key challenges to the fulfilment of the “No Lost Generation” initiative launched in 2013, in which UNICEF, Save the Children and other partners aimed to put child protection and education at the centre of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis.

Direct Link to Full 14-Page 2015 UNICEF & Save the Children Report Summary:

http://childrenofsyria.info/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CHILD-LABOUR.pdf

Direct Link to Full 81-Page Report: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ChildLabourAssessment_ZaatariCamp2015-2.pdf