Child Labor in Gaza
Israel's blockade and Gaza's rising poverty and unemployment are contributing to increased child labor in the Strip, writes Mohammed Suliman.
Swiftly dodging the cars on one of Gaza’s busiest roads, two young kids raced their way between cars as they knocked on the cars’ windows and offered the passengers some of their commodities, which consisted of lighters, candy and tissue paper. This scene, which has become pervasive in the streets of the Gaza Strip in recent years, has turned child labor into a rather obvious phenomenon in the densely populated coastal enclave.
Child labor has been on the rise due to growing poverty and unemployment among Gaza’s population, more than 80% of whose families, according to UN reports, depend on humanitarian aid. While it cannot be separated from the political situation and the Israeli occupation, most analysts trace it back to 2006, when Israel started its blockade policy with regards to the civilian population of Gaza.
Back then, tens of thousands of Palestinian laborers who used to work in Israel lost their jobs when the entry of workers from Gaza to Israel was banned. This has significantly contributed to the profound economic crisis which has engulfed the coastal enclave.
Mahmoud Sayegh is a 14-year old street peddler. Sayegh said he left school three years ago since it would be impossible for him and his family to survive if he did not work. He explained that he is willing to do any work to bring home money at the end of the day. Mahmoud, who lives in a family of 12, told Al-Monitor he procures no more than 15 to 20 NIS a day.
