Under the SHIELD project on child protection, the Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training (LOST) organized a meeting on combating child labor in Lebanon, attended by the Coordinator of the Child Protection Program, Anas Al Adawi, the Educational Coordinator of War Child Holland, Joan Shalala, municipal and social activists and figures, and a crowd of interested parties.
After the national anthem, a documentary film documenting child labor and its negative effects on the health and future of children was presented. Then, the director of the Shield project, Mohammed Al-Shall, gave a speech on the reality of the phenomenon of child labor in Lebanon, stating, “the deteriorating economic situation, poverty, and the educational level of parents, especially the mother, and the Lebanese education system are among the main reasons leading to the labor of children. It is noticeable that this phenomenon was exacerbated by the Syrian exodus. More than 100,000 children are victims of child labor and trafficking in Lebanon. Lebanon may be one of the countries with the highest rates of child labor in the world between the ages of 10 and 17″.
Furthermore, this event called for the
provision and improvement of social protection to these working children by
unifying the efforts of all actors in the global movement, including governments,
international organizations, and civil society. In the end, posters and gifts
were distributed to raise awareness about the dangers of child labor to
children and society.
