2015-07-03 10:25:00

Syria conflict: Calls to tackle child labour


(Vatican Radio) Two leading humanitarian agencies are calling for urgent action to tackle child labour caused by the crisis in Syria.

In a new report both UNICEF and Save the Children say conflict and the humanitarian crisis in the country are pushing more children into exploitation in the labour market.

The findings also show that the most vulnerable of all working children are those involved in armed conflict, commercial sexual exploitation and illicit activities including organised begging and child trafficking. 

Helen Mould is the Syria response advocacy manager with Save the Children.  She spoke to Lydia O’Kane about the situation and said more needs to be done to tackle it.

Listen 

She said, “inside Syria we’re seeing three quarters of children engaged in some kind of child labour and those figures are replicated across the refugee hosting countries, in neigbouring countries such as Iraq, in Jordan and Lebanon aswell.

Ms Mould added that “ultimately we need to make sure that the conflict in Syria comes to an end, without that families are going to become ever more vulnerable and children are going to become ever more vulnerable including having to undertake dangerous work…”

UNICEF and Save the Children are calling on the wider international community, host governments, and civil society to undertake a series of measures to address child labour inside Syria and in countries affected by the humanitarian crisis.

They would like to see quality and safe education for all children impacted by the crisis, investment in strengthening national and community based child protection systems and services and an improvement in the access to livelihoods which includes making more funding available for income-generating activities. 








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