CHILDREN: OVER HALF A BILLION WORK IN MOROCCO ~

[HOUDA-K]

Some 600,000 children work in Morocco. This represents 11% of the Kingdom's 5.5 million children, according to a joint study carried out recently by the Moroccan Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, the International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) and the World Bank.


Many little girls work as housemaids instead of going to school.

In a seminar initiated, Tuesday, by the Ministry of Employment on "ways to better integrate the fight against child labour in social development", Employment Minister Mustapha Mansouri underscored the importance that Morocco's government places on eliminating child labour. He pointed out that since the signing of relevant international conventions, efforts have been made to raise school attendance, access to health services, and that amendments have been introduced in the Family, penal and civil procedures codes to benefit children.

The State Secretary in charge of Family, Children and the Disabled, Yasmina Baddou, highlighted the 2005-2015 action plan that her department had written to carry out the government's 2002 commitment made in New York, during the UN Special Session on Children.

Representatives of international bodies, mainly UNICEF, IPEC and the World Bank, praised Morocco's efforts to protect children against all forms of exploitation, violence and abuse.

For Maie Ayoub Von Kohl, a UNICEF representative, eliminating child labour can only be fruitful through integrated actions at the political, economic, legal and social levels.

[Ma_Li_Ka]

Half a billion? ya khtee Houda... Good headline for human interest huh

[Malik]

What?!?!?! 600,000 is no where close to 1,000,000,000!!!

[Ghazala]

I'm not advocating child labour but if these children stop working in houses, on farms etc, how will the families support them? For some, the whole point of children is to help generate free labour and/or money

I think more focus should be given to educating people on birth control. Birth rates are highest in families which cannot afford to raise children.

[Ma_Li_Ka]

Birthcontrol is free in Morocco, for married women, that is. Aux Centres familiales you can get it. And there is a lot of info about it too.

The problem is infrastructural, especially rurally.

Lots of families still think though that a lot of children will secure their elderly days.

I don't think it is wrong when children work, as long as they have a respectable age and suitable hours and work is combined with scholing, meals and medical care.

[Ghazala]

Very true.
Someone I know helped collect info during the last census. You know, door-to-door let me help you fill your form in kinda thing. Anyway, I was AMAZED that a considerable number of people are still have children in double figures. Many are also illiterate. I can't remember the exact figure but it is humiliating even when compared to other so-called developing countries.

These people tend to live in the rural communities you referred to. No birth control, very little information (or capacity to take the information in/follow advice). Coupled with no TV etc to pass the time, leaving sex as the main form of 'entertainment' we still have a big problem which is not going to disappear overnight.

Where is the government money to have a massive drive in the rural communities?

[ThA-MeSsEnGeR]

let's be honest...

Morocco is a poor country, with more than 60% of illiterates, with an unemployement rate of more than 20%, a slwoing economy, a screwed educational system, a rotten judicial system, and politically weak... all the indicators are drawing a pretty dramatic picture of the situation in our dear country........ so, what can one really expect from all of this??? our Maslow needs don't go beyond the physiological ones, so everything related to child labour, women's situation, human rights, environmental issues, Kaftan 2005, World Cup 2010, is puuure LUXURY!!

we can't solve our problems as long as we don't even admit we have one, or identify the wrong one...

peace