ILO warns of increase in rate of child labor in agriculture

The International Labor Organization (ILO), warned in a report released yesterday of the spread in the past few years of the phenomenon of child labor among the Syrian refugees and the local inhabitants notably in the agriculture sector. ILO said the concentration of numbers of such workers is mainly in the Beqaa region, which hosts a large proportion of displaced Syrians, and that the rate is mounting. The report went on to say, that since the eruption of war in the neighboring country in 2011, child labor became more visible, particularly in agriculture. In this respect, the Child Labor Advisor at ILO, Hayat Osseran, pointed out that the number of such children has remarkably risen, with poverty being a major cause. For his part, the Child Protection Expert at the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Carlos Bohorquez, cited a study prepared by the organization which stated that between the years 2009 and 2016, the number of Lebanese children at work has tripled, hence maintaining that they are affected not less than their Syrian peers. The ILO, moreover, said that the agriculture sector is denoted as the most risky among the three sectors of economy, in terms of professional safety and health, notwithstanding the age of the worker. For, besides the occupation associated diseases, there is a high incidence of workplace injuries, non-fatal accidents, particularly due to the expanding use of mechanization. (Al Mustaqbal, July 13, 2016)