Kurdistan’s ‘street children’ face danger every day

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Living a comfortable, carefree life with family is a privilege not every child has in the Kurdistan Region. Many are forced to work just to make a meagre living. Known as "street children," they work morning to night every day without any adult supervision. Growing up on the streets, they face danger every day. 

Although coronavirus cases have been less prevalent among children, the pandemic has left a lasting impact, forcing many into work to support their families. Some say that working is their choice, and they are encouraged by their parents.

Yaseen Mohammed, an auto mechanic for 35 years, believes that working will guarantee a life and a future for his son. While others in his trade hire apprentices, he says he prefers to have his son working alongside him. 

"If he graduates and finds employment, that will be God's blessing. If not, then it's my job to teach him, so he works with me now," he told Rudaw.

2018 saw nearly 7,000 child laborers working to earn a living for their families, according to the Kurdistan Regional Statistics Office. Some were as young as five-years-old. 

Rudaw spoke to several children working on the streets of Erbil. They reported often spending long hours – sometimes even from morning until night – begging for change or selling small items to passersby. 

Most of the children working on the streets are either refugees, internally displaced or from poor families. Some children sell goods alongside other vendors, some push carts hawking second-hand trinkets, and others simply beg.

Vendors working in the bazaar say the situation of street children is dire – especially for girls. Sexual harassment is common, with no consequences for traffickers.

Noor, an 11-year old girl from Aleppo sells tissues on the streets with her brother, Kamal. They fled Syria with the family to Erbil seven years ago, and together with all their siblings, work on the street until 11:00 at night, and today have pulled in around $20 between the two of them.

Sometimes, they said, they are chased by police and beaten before they're sent home. Other times, Noor said, she is accosted on the street.

"Some cars stop by me and ask me to get in. I don't dare to get into the car, I am afraid," Noor told Rudaw. 

Ahmed, a 13-year-old Syrian Kurd, fled from Kobane with his family in 2014. They settled in Erbil, where they continue to work with their father. They say they prefer begging on the streets to the fear they faced during the war in their home country.

Shopowners who witness the street children on a daily basis say they often see the children causing a nuisance for their customers. But they also say it's their careless guardians who force them to walk the streets to bring home money.

"This is their job, it's their profession – they make money in this way until the evening," Kawa Saeed, a tea seller, told Rudaw. "They distribute the children and stay here, eating breakfast and drinking tea. In the evening, they set a time to meet with all the children, and then take them home.

Efforts to combat the prevalence of child labor and trafficking have been ineffective, says Diler Khoshnaw, a legal specialist at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. "They failed to take steps toward ending this phenomenon, [they were only] temporary steps to reduce the size," Khoshnaw told Rudaw.

Reporting by Dlnia Rahman
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed 
Editing by Shawn Carrié

* Names have been changed to protect children's identities.

• SHARE ON
• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Whatsapp
• Share on Telegram
• Share on Viber
• Share on Messenger