Several Kabul residents have expressed concern over the growing number of child laborers and street children in various parts of the city. They say that instead of attending school and engaging in childhood play, these children spend long hours on the streets doing work such as collecting plastic, selling water, shining shoes, cleaning car windows, and other jobs to support their families’ livelihoods. They add that among working children, young girls are seen more often than boys, some of whom work with their faces covered. These residents cite unemployment, the economic crisis, and the decline in humanitarian aid since the Taliban takeover as among the main factors behind the rise in child labor in the country.
Speaking with the Hasht-e Subh Daily, these residents say that the continuation of child labor under difficult conditions not only exposes children’s futures to serious threats but also paves the way for the spread of illiteracy, poverty, and social harms. They add that during their daily activities, working children face risks such as traffic accidents, violence, and abuse. They call on responsible institutions to take action to reduce child labor and to create the conditions for education and healthy development by generating economic opportunities for families in need and launching support programs.
Ahmad, one of Kabul’s residents, considers the rise in child labor in recent months alarming. He says many families, due to poverty and destitution, have been forced to send their children to the streets to work, a situation that could have grave consequences for their future. According to him, neglecting the situation of working children exposes them to social harms and increases the likelihood that they will fall into the hands of criminals.
This Kabul resident says, “Working children can be seen everywhere in the city, in crowded and uncrowded areas alike. Sometimes they call out to cars, sometimes they collect bottles and garbage, some work in brick kilns, and some beg. When they cannot earn money, they may turn to theft, and this is very dangerous. Children are the future of Afghanistan and must be protected so they can build their own future, rather than losing both their childhood and becoming a major problem for society.”
Sattar, another Kabul resident, says that child labor on the streets of the city has become a normal phenomenon and that no adequate attention is being paid to addressing this situation. He adds that the continuation of child labor could have grave consequences for these children’s futures, since instead of receiving education and healthy development, they face social harms in their work environments.
This Kabul resident says, “Under the previous government, families were at least able to find work, but now the number of working children has grown significantly. They can be seen in every sector, from shoe painting and polishing to other kinds of work. These children are forced to work to provide bread for their families. Child labor in the market is a major social harm. These are the country’s young generation, and if they earn a few afghanis in childhood today, tomorrow, when they grow up without a way to meet their needs, they may turn to theft, pickpocketing, and highway robbery.”
Seyar Sirat, another Kabul resident, says that many working children endure difficult conditions across the city to earn a few afghanis through hard labor. He adds that a large number of these children try to meet part of their families’ needs by collecting bottles and paper from the trash, cleaning car windows, and doing other kinds of work.
Seyar says, “The number of working children has grown significantly. Many of them collect bottles and paper, and some clean car windows. Out of a hundred cars, perhaps only one will give them 10 Afghanis. Most of these children sell the bottles they collect from the trash to provide bread for their families. When they cannot find money, some may turn to wrongdoing.”
Alim Shah, another Kabul resident, says that the presence of children in markets and streets instead of in school is alarming. He adds that children are at an age for learning and growth and should not be forced to perform hard labor to cover living expenses.
This young man says, “Seeing children working in the market instead of going to school and playing is very painful. Many of them, at a young age, face psychological and social pressures and learn things in the workplace that are not suitable for a child. Children should have the opportunity to study, grow, and build their own future. If their rights are supported and educational opportunities are provided for them, we can look forward to an aware and capable generation in the future.”
Meanwhile, several working children say that poverty, unemployment, and their families’ economic hardships have forced them to turn to the streets and markets of the city to cover living expenses. They emphasize that if their families received financial support, many other children would no longer be forced to work on the streets of the capital.
Sitara (pseudonym), one of the working children, says that due to poverty and her father’s illness, she has been forced to come to the streets and help cover part of her family’s expenses by selling plastic. She adds that selling plastic is not easy for her, and on some days, she struggles to sell her goods.
This child, sitting alongside three girls of the same age, says: “I come to Kabul’s Mandawi Market every day and work because my father is sick. I don’t go to school either. I sell plastic pieces for 10 afghanis each and cloth sacks for 20 afghanis each.”
Spozhmai and Torpekai, two cousins, say that the,y t, oo have been forced by poverty to come to the streets to earn a bite of bread for their families through work. The faces of the two girls, flushed from the intense heat, are sheltered in the shade of a shop, and with a bitter smile, they ask passersby to buy sacks from them, hoping to earn some money to help provide bread for their families.
Spozhmai and Torpekai say, “We work from morning until evening selling sacks. Our daily income is not much; sometimes we are left with only five afghanis in profit. We are both cousins, and we don’t go to school either.”
Meanwhile, the spread of poverty and unemployment, the migration of some family men to neighboring countries in search of work, and the absence of breadwinners in the families of former security forces killed in the war with the Taliban are cited as factors driving several children toward street labor.
Although the number of working children in Afghanistan is on the rise, due to restrictions imposed by the Taliban and the absence of a dedicated body to record and collect data, there are still no accurate official statistics on the number of these children. The Taliban’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has also not provided a specific figure for the number of working children in the country; however, in separate statements and reports, it has said that it has distributed cash assistance to a number of working children in some provinces.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has previously warned that millions of children around the world continue to be deprived of their right to education, recreation, and a healthy life, and are forced to perform heavy and sometimes dangerous work. According to the ILO’s statistics, 138 million children worldwide are engaged in labor, some of whom work in hazardous and high-risk occupations.
In Afghanistan as well, poverty, unemployment, economic crisis, and social problems have been cited as the main factors driving children into the labor market. International institutions have emphasized that child labor not only threatens children’s physical and mental health but also deprives them of the opportunity for education and natural development.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
افزایش کودکان کار در کابل؛ خانوادهها از شدت فقر کودکانشان را به کار میفرستند
