Feature: Afghan children struggle for a bite of bread as world celebrates Children’s Day

KABUL, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — Despite the cessation of conflict in Afghanistan and Children’s Day being celebrated worldwide, countless Afghan children are still required to work hard and abandon school to support their families.
Extreme poverty prevents a lot of families from sending their children to school. The majority of the burden of providing food for their families in the war-stricken country falls on their children.
Khudadad expressed his sorrow for leaving school, saying his father is jobless, and he has to work as a street vendor from dawn to dusk to support his family.
“I come early in the morning and start working here at 7:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. I’m the sole breadwinner for my family, so I cannot go to school,” 15-year-old Khudadad told Xinhua.
Despite living in a rental house, he has always dreamed of going to school and living in a peaceful environment in a country that has never been devastated by war.
“My aged father has no job or income. I am working to pay our house rent,” said Khudadad, who supports his four-member family.
Across Afghanistan, children like Khudadad can be found working as construction laborers, mechanics, shoe shiners, car washers, welders, tinsmiths, and street vendors. Many are also employed in kilns, garment factories, and the metal industry.
According to a report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in June, 19 percent of children are engaged in child labor in Afghanistan.
Fardin, a student in a primary school, is also fretful about his studies, as he has to work with his father as a mechanic at a roadside garage after school.
“Upon waking up in the morning, I go to school, and afterward, I come here to work with my father in the garage,” Fardin said.
With diminished work opportunities compared to the past, Fardin and his father repair flat tires to support their nine-member family.
“I earn about 200 afghani (about 3 U.S. dollars) per day. With this money, I provide daily necessities for my family, as well as pens and notebooks for my study,” Fardin said.
At just 14 years old, Fardin shoulders responsibilities beyond his age. “I dream of playing football, doing sports, and focusing on my studies, but I am compelled to work here.”
Millions of Afghans, among them children, have to flee their homes, give up education, and be compelled to take up any available work due to poverty.
Abdul Khaliq, Fardin’s father, wishes his son a better future.
“I want my son to be educated, to become a doctor or an engineer, and have a good intellect. That is my hope for him,” he said.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has established training centers for orphaned children involved in work in Kabul and all 33 provinces, spokesman for the ministry Samiullah Ibrahimi said.
There is no official data on the number of child laborers in Afghanistan, but thousands of children can be seen working on the streets in Kabul, as well as in other cities.
“Besides education, the training centers pay attention to all the needs of children, including health, food, clothing, and housing,” Ibrahimi told Xinhua.
The prolonged war and crippling sanctions in Afghanistan have left the country in ruin, with extreme poverty and unemployment becoming commonplace.
Although Afghanistan’s labor law prohibits employment for children under 18, it allows children aged 15 to 17 to work up to 35 hours per week in safe conditions. However, the reality on the ground is starkly different.
Twelve-year-old Suliman works alongside his father every day, delivering potatoes to customers’ homes.
“My father sells potatoes, and I earn 20-30 afghanis (about 0.30-0.44 U.S. dollars) for deliveries,” Suliman said.
Like many Afghan children, Suliman dreams of a childhood free of labor. “I wish I could study and become a doctor one day,” he shared.
When asked about International Children’s Day, observed annually on Nov. 20, none of the interviewed children were aware of the day. For them, it is just another day of hard work.
Numerous children have been forced to work as child laborers in Afghanistan due to four decades of war and critical poverty. The idea of a carefree childhood remains a distant dream for them. ■