Conflict Resolution signs a memorandum of understanding with the workers' union to reduce child labour in Palestine

Gaza, Publication and Information Unit:

The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution signed with the General Union of Palestinian Workers a memorandum of understanding to reduce child labour in Palestine and to press for the application of the child labour law, which provides that children may not be employed in dangerous places or in difficult occupations within the Palestinian territories.

This memorandum came after a visit by a delegation from the child protection unit project at the Palestinian Center for Conflict Resolution to the union's premises in Gaza City and a meeting with its president, Sami Al-Amassi. The visiting delegation was headed by the project coordinator, Mohammed Abu Haddaf, together with a number of children taking part in the project.

At the start of the meeting, Abu Haddaf explained the main services the child protection unit project provides, including psychological and social services and psychological counselling for 3,600 boys and girls, in addition to awareness and guidance for 1,800 parents in the various governorates on matters of upbringing and attending to their children, adding: "We carry out a range of initiatives in the neighbourhoods and local committees at the partner associations to resolve the problems children are exposed to, particularly the question of work."

He went on to say: "We call on our brothers at the General Union of Palestinian Workers to give their attention to preventing children from working in difficult and harsh conditions that exhaust them and keep them from living their lives like other children who do not work," noting that the difficult economic conditions encourage children to work under pressure from their families, and that the Palestinian situation needs child labour to be addressed and reduced as quickly as possible.

For his part, the president of the workers' union spoke about his union's clear role in liaising with official bodies, foremost among them the Ministry of Labour, and in coordinating with the owners of workshops, factories and shops that employ children under the legal age and make them work in harsh and damaging conditions. He expressed the hope that the memorandum of understanding with Conflict Resolution will help change the reality for the better by increasing awareness and media attention and pressing the government and society to protect children in the near future.

During the meeting, some of the participating children recited a number of poems on protecting and caring for childhood, as well as a song for workers and prisoners. The agreement was then signed, providing that the workers' union will stop children from practising any work or occupation and will refer working children to the Centre so that it can provide them with psychological and social services, and, where necessary, refer them to official bodies such as the Ministry of Social Affairs to help them and return them to school.