The number of children put to work in Afghanistan is growing, fueled by the collapse of the economy after the Taliban took over the country a year ago.
By EBRAHIM NOROOZI, Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan — Nabila works 10 hours or more a day, doing the heavy, dirty labor of packing mud into molds and hauling wheelbarrows full of bricks. At 12 years old, she's been working in brick factories half her life now, and she's probably the oldest of all her co-workers.
People are also reading… Children do every step of the brickmaking process. They haul cannisters of water, carry the wooden brick molds full of mud to put in the sun to dry. They load and push wheelbarrows full of dried bricks to the kiln for firing, then push back wheelbarrows full of fired bricks. Everywhere they are lifting, stacking, sorting bricks.
A few years ago, she got to go to school a little in Jalalabad. She'd like to go back to school but can't — her family needs her work to survive, she said with a soft smile.Mohabbat, a 9-year-old boy, stopped for a moment with a pained expression as he carried a load of charcoal."My back hurts," he said.Once it was explained, he was quiet a moment, thinking.
"There's no other way," he said."How can they study when we don't have bread to eat? Survival is more important." The surveys covered more than 1,400 children and more than 1,400 caregivers in seven provinces. They also pointed to the swift collapse in Afghans' livelihoods. In June, 77% of the surveyed families reported they had lost half their income or more compared to a year ago, up from 61% in December.
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AP PHOTOS: Backbreaking work for kids in Afghan brick kilnsKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Nabila works 10 hours or more a day, doing the heavy, dirty labor of packing mud into molds and hauling wheelbarrows full of bricks. At 12 years old, she’s been working in brick factories half her life now, and she’s probably the oldest of all her co-workers.
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