Increasing child labour worries Badakhshan officials

FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): local officials in northeastern Badakhshan province have expressed concerns over the growing number of children getting involved in labour.

According to facts and figures, in the past year 7,700 children from Faizabad, the provincial capital, and four districts have turned to hard labour.

Children in Badakhshan desired to go to schools, learn and read.

Naseer, studied until class second but due to deteriorated economic situation, he started work to support his family.

He sell plastic on Faizabad roads and earnestly desired to study but due to economic problems, he could not go to school.

Jawad,8, from Faizabad City, collect garbage from homes and earn some amount through this way. He does this due to poverty and economic problems.

Officials, however, said they were committed to resolving the problems faced by children.

Badakhshan Social Affairs, Work Director Mawlavi Khair Mohammad Safdar acknowledged the surge in the number of children turning to hard labour and said the main cause was the deteriorating economic situation.

He said so far exact figures of child labour were not available but added: “Initial figures obtained from Shuhada, Baharak, Khash districts and Faizabad showed 7,700 children turned to hard labour ”

He said according to past Surveys, only 1,000 children were involved in hard labour in Faizabad City.

He said this year 200 children had been deported from neighbouring nations and the Social Affairs Department provided vocational training facilities to 44 after the identification process.

Safdar asked families to pay attention to the future of their children and not to allow them to go to neighboring countries where they will face trouble.

He said the Social Affairs Department in coordination with the ACTED and UNICEF planned to reach out to children involved in hard labour and address their problems.

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