Yemen: Hundreds of Children Work in Dangerous Jobs to Provide for their Families

In the gloomy reality that swept Yemen, hundreds of children were forced to work in hazardous conditions and in dangerous jobs to provide for their families. Arafat Fahd, who is only 12 years old, was coerced into dropping out of his school to work as a blacksmith. He indicated that he wished he could go to school as he illustrated that he feels down whenever he sees kids going to school. Child labor in Yemen is rampantly growing in light of the grueling war. Moreover, the war-induced poverty and displacement are forcing many children into assuming jobs in unfavorable conditions. It is worth mentioning that the Yemeni Child Rights Law stipulated that the minimum legal working age is 14 while the law prohibits the employment of children under 15 in industrial work. However, amid abject poverty, the law was overlooked