‘Over 16,000 Balkh children Involved in hard labour’

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): Over 16,000 children are involved in hard labour or collecting garbage on roads and streets, an official said on Monday.

According to reports some children are involved in bricks making along with the families in bricks factories.

Walid, 11, is one of these children, who told Pajhwok Afghan News that he daily go to the bricks factory daily at 5:00am and work there till the evening.

He said working in bricks factory was due financial problems they have otherwise he wished to go to school like other children.

“I would like to go to school like other students, but we are financially unsound and we have to work, I make around 200 bricks in a day and get the wages,” he said.

Yasin, another child with similar condition, said he work in the bricks factory from dawn to dust and earn 200 afs daily.

“We have enormous economic problems at home and I have to work and cannot go to school which I had to.”

He said he quit school in class 4^th but he as interested to resume it.

Dilawar, 55, who migrated from Sar-i-Pul, said all children wanted to send their children to school and madrassas but people have financial and other problems.

He said 25 families live in a bricks factory in the Kormar area of Mazar-i-Sharif and their children are also working in these factories.

Hafizullah, whose two sons are working in bricks factories, told Pajhwok Afghan News poverty forced him not to send his children to work and made them to work in bricks factory.

Balkh Works and Social Affairs Director Mufti Naseer Ahmad Abu Khalid told Pajhwok Afghan News according to UNICEF survey 16094 children are involved in hard labour and garbage collection in Balkh province.

He said talks had been held with some organisations to generate support for these children and address their problems.

He said efforts had been made to generate funds with the support of UNICEF for children working in Bricks factories.

It is pertinent to mention that besides Balkh, thousands and children are involved in hard labour and garbage collection in Kabul and other provinces.