Egypt: Supporting the development of child carpenters
21 Jun 2012 Trafficking, abuse and exploitationEgypt
Sustainable development should not only be considered from an environmental point of view but also both economically and socially. It has been proven that this former is the base of the development of any poor country. As a part of this it is necessary for any country to ensure both access to a responsible economy and a respect of the basic human rights for the current and future generations. While working children may be gaining the notions of a working trade or some form of compensation the lack of education means that they are not learning to develop themselves socially.
The city of Damietta in Egypt, is famous beyond the Egyptian borders for its furniture making. Over 730,000 workers toil in some 35,000 workshops. These workers often include young people and children. Statistics reveal that 25% of children aged from 5 to 14 work in these furniture shops.
Higher pay for children than for adults
Due to a lack of revenue for many families children are sent from the age of 5 to work as carpenters, painters, carvers or upholsterers. These children earn good money, up to 100LE (about 17 US$) per week for a 15 year old teenager, when a graduate adult earns only about 150LE (25 US$) per month. Parents believe their children are getting some form of professional training, but are often unaware of the health risks they are exposing their children to.
Informing children of their rights
In partnership with some local organisations Terre des hommes assist working children by informing them of their basic rights, in order to help them regain their dignity. These rights include: the right to medical care, the right to some form of professional training and the right to an education.
When the work is dangerous (such as in the case of the quarries on the banks of the Nile) Tdh try to pull out the children to preserve their future. When it’s not, they work on improving their working conditions, getting them out for a few hours a week and providing them with education, health check-ups and opportunities to play and express themselves.
Islam Hany: “I want to go to school!”
An example of one of these working children is Islam 11 years old who started when he was 5 years old. He worked up to 10 hours a day sculpting, sanding and painting furniture. Now, with the help of Terre des hommes and the collaboration of his employer, he is happy to have the opportunity to go to school to learn to read and write. He is very lucky to not be considered amongst the 50% of Damietta’s illiterate population (like his father).
Opportunities for the parents
In addition to helping the children Tdh and the partner organisations provide economical alternatives to the parents in the form of training and micro-credit to help them depend less on the income generated by their working children. The emphasis needs to be placed on sustainability, it is important to work on the source of the problem rather than the direct consequences.
