• The International Labour Organization (ILO) head in Afghanistan, Ramid Behzad, issued a warning against child labor
• The number of children working in hazardous jobs was found to be on the rise in Afghanistan following two decades of progress
• Behzad said that in 2020 and 2021, there were more than 1.06 million children who were engaged in labor

The International Labour Organization (ILO), in observance of World Day Against Child Labour, is calling for an increased focus on efforts to eliminate the use of young kids as workers, which is now on the rise in Afghanistan after two decades of progress.

The organization's head warned of an increase in the number of children in the country engaged in work generally and mainly with hazardous jobs. Ramin Behzad, the head of the ILO in Afghanistan, issued the warning on World Day Against Child Labour.

Rise in the Number of Child Labor

Behzad noted that more than 1.06 million children were engaged in labor in Afghanistan in 2020 and 2021. He noted that the ILO counted those between the ages of five and 17, per Bis News Network.

Furthermore, the United Nations organized a gathering in Kabul commemorating World Day Against Child Labour under the title "Social Justice." On the other hand, the Taliban-led Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) said that there are 1 million children who are engaged in hazardous work while another 2 million are working on the street.

The chief of police of the MoPW, Sharafuddin Sharaf, said that the number comes as there are roughly 19.5 million children in Afghanistan, 11.4 million of whom have been enrolled in school.

The official added that 7.8 million children are not in school, 1.2 million are engaged in hazardous work, and 1.9 million are doing normal work on the streets due to imposed wars, poverty, and economic problems.

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Addressing the Global Problem

The situation in Afghanistan is reflected in global statistics, where roughly 160 million children, about one in 10 worldwide, are engaged in child labor. According to the Voice of America News, around half of these are working in what experts consider to be the most hazardous forms, such as agriculture, construction, mining, and domestic labor.

The ILO said that kids are forced to work very long hours for relatively low pay under dangerous conditions that can threaten their physical and mental health. The organization added that the work conditions could also lead to death.

Sharaf Hameedi, the head of the national union of Labor in Afghanistan, said that the country's kids face extreme hardships, adding that some are forced to work for more than 15 hours. He argued that kids should not be working more than 35 hours per week but noted that the reality is that some are working more than 15 hours per day.

In a Twitter post, UNICEF Afghanistan said that one in five children in the region is engaged in child labor. It added that no matter the cause, the organization plans to end child labor in all forms, said TOLO News.

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