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JEDDAH: Youngsters involved in loading and unloading of goods, some pushing carts laden with vegetables under the scorching sun and some carrying goods bought by customers to their vehicles. The Jeddah vegetable market presents a shocking scene of child labor, with boys as young as seven and nine years old working to help their impoverished families.
An online newspaper on Monday highlighted the affairs by managing to speak to the youngsters after “much efforts,” and they claimed that sometimes they work for 16 hours.
Ridhwan, a 13-year-old Arab child, was quoted as saying that he works from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. “Life in our country is difficult, so we ran away and came to the Kingdom a year ago. Here, we work to meet the requirements of our family.”
A seven-year-old child, nicknamed “Sheikh”, agrees with Ridhwan. He said that he remained deprived of education and came to the market five months back with some of his friends to make some money for his needy family. He carries vegetables from the shop to the customers’ cars. Asked about his father, Sheikh said that he works as a laborer for a contractor.
Mohammad, a Saudi child, said he has been working in the vegetable market for five years. He came here when he was just nine years old. “There is nobody to take care of the expenses of my family. That is why I decided to work,” he said.
He said that those who work here do not go back till late in the night. “Some children face ill-treatment and have even started smoking. Nobody protects them from misbehavior.”
Khalid Al-Fakhri, secretary general of the Human Rights Association, was quoted as saying employing children is violation of their rights as per the international rules. “Child labor is a crime in the Kingdom. Those who hire them have to be made accountable and punished.”