UNICEF EGYPT
“CHILD PROTECTION”

Child labor has recently become an unfortunate phenomenon in Egypt. It is worldwide phenomenon that denies the children from their childhood. The children are subjected to hard work and labor which is considered unsuitable for their age. The only stakeholders for this problem are the children themselves . Child labor is a complex problem in Egypt. The Egyptian Government statistics showed that around 1.6 million of the workers are underage workers aging between 5 and 17 years old. This is due to that some employees preferred to recruit these underaged children, because they are easily controled and take fewer wages. Sometimes they even receive no payment, only shelter. One could ask himself why these children accepted doing such work. The answer for this question is in three words : “not enough income” .The decresed income made families are not able to afford schools, so the parents decide the children must work in order to pay family debts, suplement family income, and help in household enterprise. Moreover, the parents think that schooling is not considered useful for their children’s future and that learning handcrafts would be much more benefitial. This problem has a huge effect on our world because the child labor does not only affect the child physically and psychologically, but also it affects the entire society directly and indirectlty. There are no various non governmental organization that aim to decrease the child labor in Egypt and UNICEF is one of the very few that deal with this problem. The united nation’s children’s fund (UNICEF) is an organization that helps improving the children’s lives and rights that was found in 1999 and now it happens to be in 191 countries. It is mainly depending on the volunteerism of governments and people willing to help the children live a better life. Just as it is supporting children in wideworld countries whom are risking child labor , It is supporting the same type of children here in Egypt in partnership with local egyptian non governmental organizations mainly in cairo and alexandria. And now the question is how this organization can aid the major problem of child labor in Egypt? Though the child labor can be handled by various methods. The UNICEF is considered to be one of the most (if not the most) effective organizations aiding children and practically improving their circustances due to many considerations such as its functionality, operational feasibility, geaographical issues, in addition to social and cultural acceptance. Child labor problem must be linked with its functionality and kept in consideration, as it is a major factor in the process of positively influencing the problem. Functionality mainly shows the ability of fixing the problem and how it can be fixed. The UNICEF aims to support the children by every possible means knowing that child labor is every child’s worst nightmare. Children facing poverty in Egypt usually end up working to improve their families conditions. Most of the cases work in different and dangerous work environments for long hours approximately ranging from 9-11 hours. Since the UNICEF knows that most of these children cannot quit working due to their masive need for earning money and helping their families, “It provides them with basic education and health care, meals, as well as cultural and recreonational activities”, works on developing their abilities, mentalities, personalities, and talents. One of the projects done by the UNICEF in West Alexandria state that “ it reached more than 2,500 working boys and that the project in 2004 is being extended to surve working girls as well”. The UNICEF provides the families aid as well by giving the working children’s mothers loans to start home based businesses thus be motivated to educate their children rather than making them work. Statistics proved how functional the UNICEF is in Egypt for its fruitful effects on people’s lives . It is guaranteed that no act of kindness is ever wasted . Since this organization is mainly based on volunteerism as mentioned before, there is no fear from the operational feasibilty. It will keep going for the people will surely be glad to participate in aiding such worthy projects. They will keep donating, volunteering, and participating, thus donations received will be spent on aiding the most needy. These projects are not only to influence the children’s lives , but also to influence the entire society as these projects aims to prevent children from working which encourages them to seek education. Every educated person has a good chance to make a better living, live a better life,develop the country by decreasing the poverty rate, improve the country’s economy, make stable family environment, and raise children in better circumstances. So it is quite obvious that organization has a sparkled future in Egypt and that it is gaining consideration and financial aid. Moreover, In order for this project to influence effeciently in Egypt, geographical issues such as picking the poorest places to establish in them the projects- must be well considered. There is no doubt that child labor is found all over Egypt, but there are places that child labor is found more often in with higher ratios. For instance the slum places in Egypt that are known to be the poorest of places are the most important to be put in consideration and to make projects in. Geographic consideration is to be put in consideration as it is a major effective factor. In addition to the elements mentioned above, social and cultural consideration must be in favor of forming the projects that support invading child labor or decreasing it by every possible way. Since in Egypt people usually love helping eachothers, the social and cultural consideration here will not be a problem, versing that thankfully it is from the supporting factors for the continuation of these projects. Child labor which is one of the major problems in Egypt is proved to be solved if certain criterion is followed. “The process of fighting the child labor has been a participatory one involving all those concerned with the issue in the egyptian cotext including the UNICEF ”. Outer factors such as awarness campaigns can be a supporting factor for increasing the organizations and projects effects. Thus awareness must be shared in every single region in Egypt about the importance of education and its impact on the society , and how the child labor affects the child physically and psychologically causing instability within that causes the entire society’s instability.