BAHARIN LEHIB

Kabul- The number of children, who are pushed into child labor in Afghanistan, especially since the Taliban takeover, is an issue of growing concern in the country. Extreme poverty, religious and social pressures and sexist approaches are some of the reasons for the increase in child labor in Afghanistan, one of the poorest countries in the world.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, more families have been suffering from extreme poverty and many children have to work due to the Taliban’s ban on women’s work. Not only women but also men lost their jobs because many were replaced by members of the Taliban. Families trying to cope with this poverty force their children into the labor force; however, Child workers are subjected to physical and sexual violence at work.

3,7 million child workers

According to the official data, there are 3,7 million child workers in Afghanistan. The International Labor Organization announced on the World Day Against Child Labor in 2014 that three million children between the ages of 5-17 years old were engaged in child labor.

In 2017, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) published a report on child labor in the country. According to the report, 33% of children were subjected to physical violence at work; 39% of children were insulted at work; more than 27% were pushed into doing hard work and 16% were subjected to sexual assault at work.

According to the report, 90% of children worked more than 35 hours a week. Child workers were generally between the ages of 7-18 years old 80% of them were over the age of 12 and 92% were boys.

In 2018, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs announced that the number of child workers in the country was 1,2 million and 3 million children were living below the poverty line. But the ministry then announced that the number of child workers in the country was between 3,000 and 4,000.