A new official report stated that Yemen’s phenomenon of child labor is closely related to the country’s high poverty rates.  The report, released by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, claimed that children with families affected by poverty were more likely to be employed as child laborers.  High poverty rates mean that there is a high population of families affected by poverty, and as a result, more child laborers.  The report concluded that as long as high levels of poverty persist in Yemen, Yemen will also be battling child labor.

Recent statistics show that the number of child laborers in Yemen is increasing.  A 1999 census show that there are 700,000 child laborers in Yemen.  The census also shows that in rural areas, 95% of children work.  Also, in 1999, ILO estimated that 19.2% of children aged 10-14 worked in Yemen.  The increase in child laborers is related to the increase in the number of dropouts from school.  Jamal Al-Shami, director of Democracy School, claimed that there are over 2 million children in Yemen who are not attending school; most of whom will end up illiterate.

On September 5, Yemen’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, working in cooperation with UN’s International Labor Organization (ILO), launched the first national policy to limit child labor.  The report also suggested that the government adopt a program whose purpose was to identify the poorest communities in the country.  These communities would be targeted by national and international aid programs so that their dependence on child labor would lessen.

A delegation from ILO spent a week in Yemen, meeting with their counterparts in Yemen.  There main focus of the meetings was to design a method of identifying sources of decent work in Yemen.  One reason for the high rate of poverty in Yemen is that there is a shortage of “decent work”.  ILO defines “decent work” as “productive work in which rights are protected; work that generates an adequate income; and work with adequate social protection. It also means sufficient work, in the sense that all should have full access to income-earning opportunities.”

For more information, please see:
News Yemen- Poverty aggravates child labor in Yemen: official report– 22 September 2007

Yemen Observer- ILO delegation to combat child labor in Yemen and present Decent Work Strategy– 18 September 2007

News Yemen- Labor ministry and ILO announce first policy against child labor– 5 September 2007

Yemen Times- Yemen: Fears over possibly rising number of child labourers– 5 September 2007