ALEPPO, Syria — Child labor has become a catastrophic problem plaguing many Syrian cities and towns. Instead of enrolling in school, children are working for several reasons, mainly because the family provider was killed in the war or arrested by the regime or the Islamic State (IS). Other reasons include extreme poverty, the high cost of living and soaring levels of unemployment as a result of the country's 7-year-old civil war. Despite much talk of cease-fires and "safe zones," the war is still raging in many regions.

In areas of the Aleppo countryside liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield (August 2016-March 2017), child labor has been on the rise. Children have dropped out of school and entered the job market, many in difficult and dangerous jobs unsuitable for children.

Child labor in the Euphrates Shield areas soared after Turkey declared the end of that military operation against IS. As stability was gradually restored, more shops opened their doors. Professions picked up after having been defunct during IS rule. The area attracted thousands of displaced people from different Syrian regions.

During a recent visit to the area, Al-Monitor noticed that most of the working children seem to be those who are displaced and living under the poverty line in refugee camps. Others who are originally from the area have returned, and some have lost one of their parents.