Skip to main content

Poverty forces Syrian children to skip school, collect ordnance

For several child workers in the Idlib countryside, the detritus of war has become their livelihood.

AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images
A Syrian child stacks neutralized shells at a metal scrapyard on the outskirts of the village of Maaret Misrin in northwestern Idlib province, on March 10, 2021. — AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images

In the town of Ma'arrat Misrin in the Idlib countryside, a group of children including Malik Junaid, 9, and Abdul Karim al-Hamoud, 12, have found a source of income in collecting, dismantling and sorting unexploded ordnance to be loaded into cargo trucks for eventual sale.

Violence has become their livelihood. Al-Hamoud and Junaid are forced to do the dangerous work to support their families. They don't get to go to school like other children, instead rushing outside as intensified fighting and air raids bring a bigger paycheck.

Related Topics

Subscribe for unlimited access

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more

$14 monthly or $100 annually ($8.33/month)
OR

Continue reading this article for free

All news, events, memos, reports, and analysis, and access all 10 of our newsletters. Learn more.

By signing up, you agree to Al-Monitor’s Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Already have an account? Log in