Difficult living conditions increase cases of child labour in Syria

There has been an increase in the number of Syrian children who are forced into employment because of the unrest in their country, the loss of the family’s income, or the loss of the main breadwinner.

Many children have left school to work and support their families; they work selling bread, cigarettes and other commodities on the pavements, or work in grocers.

Safi Nofil, a child from the Idlib suburbs, said he was forced to work to support his family because of the price increases which the country has seen.

Children as young as seven and eight years old are being forced to work, especially those who have been orphaned, as there are not international children’s organisations operating in the country.