With the observance of Labor Day only one day away, A-Safir Daily published Lebanese child labor statistics.
The number of employed children in the age group between 10-18 stands at 43,415, constituting 3.8 percent of the total number of children in this age category, and 6.4 percent of the total national labor force. The number of employed children in 10-14 age bracket hits 5,108, meaning that almost 9.1 percent of the total population of this age group are employed. Many of the children in this bracket are employed illegally, in violation of a 1996 amendment. Under the stipulations of this amendment, 13 is the legal minimum age of employment in the country.
Geographically, the employment of children (between 10-17 years) is more common in the less developed regions. The leading regions in terms of child labor are the northern regions of the country, mainly Tripoli, Akar and Al-Mnia. In the Mt. Lebanon region, child labor is prevalent in Ba'abdeh and Al-Matn. AFP Photo
© 2000 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
