HAMA, Syria (North Press) – Ward al-Thayer (a pseudonym), a child in central Syria’s Hama, tries to untie a broken piece of a car as he stands in front of the mechanic workshop in which he works in the industrial zone in the city.
Al-Thayer has been working in car maintenance for two years. Though it is very hard work, especially in summer, ” I am forced to endure it,” he says.
The deteriorating living conditions in Syria have forced many families in the city, which is controlled by the Syrian government, to send their children to work at these professions.
Abeer Sanqar, a psychologist in Hama, said that women visit her complaining about their children’s misbehavior and personality disorders every day.
“My colleagues and I monitored those children. We noticed that they are working for long hours and return home exhausted, which causes disorders as a result of the psychological harm they face and the effort they make during their work,” Sanqar added.
Deprivation and risks
Al-Thayer is forced to endure the risks of the hard profession as his family needs the money he makes, according to him.
He sustained injuries several times during his work; once a heavy piece of a car’s engine fell on his leg and broke it while he was untying it.
He hopes he can find an easier and higher-paying job to be able to continue his studies, which he says he will be forced to abandon if he continues to work at this profession, “as it is so exhausting.”
“I am dreaming of emigrating to a country where I can live like other children without being forced to work,” he added.
Amir al-Halabi (a pseudonym) works collecting plastic and cardboard from streets and dumpsters to sell to secure rent for his family’s home.
He told North Press that his father died at the beginning of the Syrian crisis and he and his elder brother are the breadwinners of their family because their siblings are young.
“We left school and started working to secure money so that we don’t need anyone’s help,” al-Halabi added.
He wants to return to school and continue studying, “but the study is expensive and my family cannot afford it,” he explained.
Sibhiya al-Malik (a pseudonym), a woman living in Hama, said that all family members must work to be able to continue living, “as the work of one member is no longer enough.”
She sends both her sons, 13 and 17 to sell clothes in market stalls, “as their father suffers from a chronic disease and cannot work.”
She hopes that their situation will get better “in one way or another” so that her children can return to school.
Physical and psychological effects
Orthopedic doctor Salah al-Rawas (a pseudonym) said that he treats children with bone pain, curvatures of the spine, and limb fractures on a daily basis.
“A big proportion of children were injured working at these professions which require massive effort, in addition to the lack of nutrition which affects their proper physical growth,” he added.
The ages of most of his child patients range from 10 to 18 years old, and most of them are from the poor and middle classes.
Labor at an early age exposes children to chronic orthopedic diseases, the effects of which may accompany them all their life, the doctor explained.
Besides physical diseases, child labor leaves deep psychological effects, as the children are deprived of many rights.
The phenomenon of illiteracy has notably spread due to their dropping out of school, “not to mention the adoption of bad habits such as smoking and drug addiction, which has become a threat to society,” Sanqar pointed out.
Indeed, they may face major psychological problems that may reach depression, as the majority of children who work in hard labor are subjected to bullying and corruption by business owners.