Many garbage collectors work and live in the Suburbs of Cairo, Egypt. This photo shows us Marina, age 3 playing with other children in the back of a garbage collector.
"Adolescents - one quarter of the population - face considerable challenges in finding employment. This is aggravated by the quality of their education, which does not provide them with the necessary skills. There is a lack of proper information on age-specific issues and limited opportunities for their participation in different contexts starting within their families to their schools to community at large, which affect their ability to have a meaningful role in their society and in national development.
The Government prioritizes child protection, and national plans of action and programmes for at-risk children are in place to deal with abuse and violence in homes, schools and the streets. An estimated 8 per cent of children aged 6-14 years are child laborers, mostly engaged in the agriculture sector, considered a hazardous occupation. There are a significant number of street children in Egyptian cities. Family breakdown and poverty are the root causes that push children to the streets.
Children are also drawn to the streets where they can socialize and earn money.
The prevalence of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) among girls aged 15-17 years is 77 per cent. The abandonment of FGM/C is a Government priority, and recent surveys indicate a lack of intent to circumcise girls in communities.
A 2006 study on child abuse in deprived urban communities, shows 81% of children having been corporally punished at home in the year preceding the survey, and 91% corporally punished during the same period in schools.
There is a need to institutionalize child protection mechanisms and services for monitoring and rehabilitation of children subjected to exploitation, abuse, violence and those deprived of primary care".
