Child Labour in the Arab Region

Abstract

Emphasizing the values, principles and objectives contained in the regional and international conventions and charters concerned with the rights of children in general and combating child labour in particular, with a commitment to the objective of Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 (Combating Child Labour and Forced Labour) to end all forms of child labour by 2025, and recognizing the need to protect future generations and enforce their rights, the League of Arab States, together with its partners from Arab and other international organizations (International Labour Organization, Arab Labour Organization, Arab Council for Childhood and Development and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), has produced this study entitled "Child Labour in the Arab Region”. This region includes the 22 member countries of the League of Arab States. Based on national statistics, data, reports and key informants the report provides an overview of the main characteristics of child labour among different sectors of economic activity in the Arab region. It also examines the impact of armed conflict and population displacement on child labour. The report concludes with a number of policy analyses and proposes several recommendations to address the issue of child labour in the region, the most important of which is the development of a regional strategy to combat the worst forms of child labour.