Unicef: Growing poverty in Gaza, due to Israeli siege, leads to child labor

Thursday July 23, 2009 13:47 by Katherine Orwell - 1 of International Middle East Media Center Editorial Group

Unicef made known on Wednesday that child labor in Gaza is on the increase, due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, caused by the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip since June 2007.

The press release on the Website of the organization, that advocates child’s rights, also states that the West Bank is experiencing the same problem.

According to the 2004 Palestinian Child’s Rights Law, children below the age of 15 are not allowed to work. However, UNICEF reports that hunger and need drive children to quit school and help their families to obtain an income. The Israeli closure of the Strip and the restricted entry of goods are aggravating the situation, “making it virtually impossible for Gazans to rebuild their lives” UNICEF states.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) published a report in June stating that only 2,662 truckloads of goods entered Gaza from Israel in May of this year – a decrease of almost 80 per cent from the 11,392 truckloads allowed in during April 2007, before Israel closed down the Strip.

The ICRC report signals that the closure of Gaza has pushed the unemployment rate to 44 per cent (as of April 2009) and caused a dramatic rise in poverty. Currently, more than 70 per cent of the population of Gaza lives in poverty, with an income of less than $250 a month for a family of up to nine.

UNICEF warns for the effects these trends are having on the Palestinian society. Palestinian literacy rates remain among the highest in the Arab world – especially for girls – at 99 per cent for both males and females. Nevertheless, in recent years learning achievement has decreased along with primary school enrolment.

As of the end of June, UNICEF Gaza has distributed a wide range of educational supplies, trying to curb this tendency.

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