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Frozen Hands, Heavy Burdens: The Struggles of Kabul's Child Laborers

Despite the harsh cold in Kabul, child laborers continue to engage in hard labor in the capital.

Some of these children say they are forced to work to support their families financially.

Jawad, one of these children, cleans others' shoes with frozen hands. He is a sixth-grade student, but life's hardships have turned him into a breadwinner to support his father.

Jawad told TOLOnews: "Our request of the government is to find us jobs or pay salaries to me and my father."
"I work so I can bring five loaves of bread home. My father is old; both of us work to cover household expenses,” said Elham, another child laborer.

Today, too, the weather is cold, and children's hands have turned pale from the freezing temperatures.
The illness of her father and the lack of a breadwinner in the family forced her to sell pomegranates on the streets instead of attending school.
"I am forced to come and work to cover household expenses,” she said.

Farzinaz, another child laborer, said: "I work and bring home money for bread."

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs says it has activated shelters in all provinces to address the issues of child laborers.

"This ministry visits children engaged in hard labor and has instructed inspectors and employers to prevent the use of children in hard work," stated  Samiullah Ebrahimi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

According to statistics provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 19% of children in Afghanistan are engaged in labor. This statistic highlights the widespread challenges faced by child laborers in the country.

Frozen Hands, Heavy Burdens: The Struggles of Kabul's Child Laborers

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs says it has activated shelters in all provinces to address the issues of child laborers.

تصویر بندانگشتی

Despite the harsh cold in Kabul, child laborers continue to engage in hard labor in the capital.

Some of these children say they are forced to work to support their families financially.

Jawad, one of these children, cleans others' shoes with frozen hands. He is a sixth-grade student, but life's hardships have turned him into a breadwinner to support his father.

Jawad told TOLOnews: "Our request of the government is to find us jobs or pay salaries to me and my father."
"I work so I can bring five loaves of bread home. My father is old; both of us work to cover household expenses,” said Elham, another child laborer.

Today, too, the weather is cold, and children's hands have turned pale from the freezing temperatures.
The illness of her father and the lack of a breadwinner in the family forced her to sell pomegranates on the streets instead of attending school.
"I am forced to come and work to cover household expenses,” she said.

Farzinaz, another child laborer, said: "I work and bring home money for bread."

The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs says it has activated shelters in all provinces to address the issues of child laborers.

"This ministry visits children engaged in hard labor and has instructed inspectors and employers to prevent the use of children in hard work," stated  Samiullah Ebrahimi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

According to statistics provided by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 19% of children in Afghanistan are engaged in labor. This statistic highlights the widespread challenges faced by child laborers in the country.

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