One in four Afghan children forced to work: UNICEF

Kabul: Poverty, lack of educational opportunities and the demand for cheap labour are helping to

fuel the prevalence of child labour across Afghanistan, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned. Nearly one quarter of Afghan children between the ages of 7 and 14 are working, with more girls working than boys and the problem worst in rural areas, Noriko Izumi, head of child protection for UNICEF in Afghanistan, said at a press conference in Kabul. Poverty and low family income levels force children to work to support while some types of work serve to teach children new skills that can help them become responsible and productive adults. She said work that interferes with the education of children and affects their mental, physical and social well-being is considered child labour. Lack of educational opportunities also pushes a child to work, as did the demand for cheaper labour, she stated, adding children are cheaper to employ than adults and easier to manipulate. It is easier to hire and fire children. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 218 million children worldwide, from 5 to 17 years old, are engaged in some kind of labour, with 126 million children engaged in the worst forms of child labour. Bureau Report