Under the title "Children Enter the Labor Market Due to Difficult Economic Conditions in Lebanon," Ikram Saad wrote for "Sky News Arabia": "Among the wheels of cars and repairing tires, young Ziad endures hours of fatigue and hardship in harsh working conditions at a car repair shop in one of the suburbs of the capital Beirut, to help his mother support his younger siblings with a few thousand liras that barely cover hunger and need, so he doesn't extend his hand to others asking for charity."
She adds: "Twelve-year-old Ziad should be in school, as his thin, tender bones cannot handle such rough work that harms his innocence and deprives him of living a happy childhood filled with studies, play, and leisure time. He has no time to play during the day, and during his breaks from work, he eats a za'atar man’ousheh that costs him, along with his commuting expenses to and from the garage where he works, half of what he earns in a day. He gives the remainder of his daily wage to his mother to buy food for his younger siblings after she lost her provider and husband years ago."
The frail boy, Ziad, told "Sky News Arabia" bitterly: "Today everything has increased in price. Last year, I could buy some sweets and chocolates during my break, but today I only settle for za'atar man’ousheh. Even man’ousheh with cheese or meat has become 5,000 liras, so I can't afford to buy it from the nearby cafeteria."
When asked if he studied in school previously, he replied: "Yes, but this year I left school because the learning is from home, and I do not have the money for a phone or a computer to study from home, nor do I have school fees."
Sky News Arabia asked lawyer Faten Al-Saadi, who is concerned about child labor issues, and she explained that "this phenomenon has been widespread in Lebanon for a long time, but it has worsened with the severe decline in the economic situation that has pushed children into the labor market to help their parents earn a living." She added that legally, Article 22 of the Labor Law states that "the employment of minors before they reach the age of thirteen is strictly prohibited,” and Article 23 of the same law also prohibits employing minors in industrial projects and strenuous or harmful work before they complete the age of fifteen. Additionally, it forbids using minors before reaching the age of sixteen in jobs that are inherently dangerous or pose threats to life, health, or morals.
