8

WHO TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN FROM THE

SCORCHING SUN AND ENERVATION.

The  8th issue of “ ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL RIGHT” series, published by Land Center, came while the movement of Human Right in Egypt was passing through a very critical circumstances that negatively affected many of Egyptian human rights activities. Moreover, as this issue would deal with one of the thorniest issues regarding the work of rural child laborer condition, it therefore entitled ‘STRUGGLE OF CHILD LABORERS IN CONTROLLING COTTON-WORM, A JOURNEY OF TIREDNESS AND SUFFERINGS ’.

This report is prepared while tens of thousands of our children nation-wide are being involved in a tireless struggle to get rid of the cotton infected plants. For to stop the merciless attacks of the cotton worms, they were to suffer unacceptable conditions of work under the scorching sun for more than eight hours continuously. All their aim is to protect the crop, which form the crux of their country’s economy. Regrettably, they are all children having so many needs to make them suffer such unbearable circumstance.

Still and all, child laborers are known to be involved in all stages of cotton cultivation, but their role is more significant at the times of pests control, widely known as handy picking of cotton worm eggs blots. Their involvement starts from the early stages of land preparation, sawing of seeds, replanting, weeds control, to end with pests’ control either chemically or mechanically. All over these stages the role child laborers is remarkable and highly needed. But for being insects’ pest cause more than 50% of the damage experienced every year in cotton fields, the child labor as a phenomenon is more noticeable than in other mentioned activities.

The report also demonstrates in brief, the adopted method of cultivating cotton in Egypt, which is seen as one of the strategic cash crops in the country. Briefly, cotton cultivation starts as from the second half of February every year by preparing the land for cultivation. This process includes tilling of the land, dividing it into basins, each to contain a number of rows, and then to follow by sawing of seeds according to specified spacing. Every year during late May, each village or area’ cooperative society announce its needs for recruiting young men to work as monitors in cotton fields. Usually the number needed is between 1-to-4 per acre, and those have previous experience on handpicking of cotton worm are preferred. The period of this work is usually not more than 10 days after which the agricultural extension officers prepare their reports on the size and location of the infection at their locality. The reports would later refer to other higher authorities including district agricultural office, province agriculture department, which in turn passed to agriculture ministry. In this way, all the officials concerned would be kept informed about the size of the infestation during this period of the year. The agriculture ministry after a while would sent a massage to directorates of agriculture at various provinces informing them about the time set for starting the cotton worm handpicking control operations at each province.

   As the report addresses the phenomenon of child labors at rural area, it has based its founding on many cases that experienced during the fieldwork of its staff at various localities. For instance, the Center' researchers have found that number of children recruited for handpicking operation at Salman village of El-Santta district of Ghrabeya province, was less than three child per acre. On encoring about the apparent short, researchers told that the area cooperative has failed to recruit the required number of child labor except after the school year was ended. The total number of child labor found at the time was 135 only while the area planted of cotton in this village was set at 90 acres.

Other instance on the shortage of child labor was obvious in El-Quytoun village of Mit Ghamr District, Dakahlia province, which its area planted to cotton reach 112 acres. In this village, the cooperative society announced its need for 168 child to work as daily pay labor in cotton field. They actually recruited this number, and divided them into groups each consist of 20 children to cover the whole of 112 acres.

In this respect, agriculture experts said that to have an effective handpicking cotton-worm control operation, we must supply each acre with from 1,5  to two children, depends on the severity of the infection. According to this opinion, we have to expect that not less than 1,200,000 child laborers would be involved, this year in the control operations of cotton-worm, since the total area declared planted to cotton has reached to 800,000 acres.

The child laborers are responsible for researching and collecting the eggs blots of the worm eggs found in cotton leaves and stems. They are recruited by each village Cooperative Society that determines the number needed of the child labors according to the area planted to cotton under its supervision. Concerning their payment, it is three pounds per day, payable every 10 days (it called period also). Moreover, there no days off as the nature of that work necessitate the continuous follow up of the pest development stages. If the Coop failed to get the number required it, hand over the village’s regular guard a list containing names of farmers own cotton fields at the area. The guard would later instruct these farmers to provide the Coop with a child or two to work in the control operation.

However, when the farmers fail in providing the required children, Coop officials would report them to the designed area police station. The police later summon these farmers and enforce them recruit the needed number of child labor for the Coop. That of course goes according to the ministerial decree of 1965. The decree stipulates that each farmer cultivating cotton is requested to provide a number of children to carry out handpicking cotton worm control work. The number of these child laborers would determined by the area’s Cooperative society to which the farmer is belong and according to the severity of infestation.

The report also demonstrates the tough conditions under which these children are performing this kind of work. It says that the working day of these poor children start as the one gets up early in the morning. His/ her mother would prepare for him a breakfast consists of a piece of fat- extracted cheese and loaf of bread and pile them in a piece of cloth. The child later picks his breakfast and put on in his head a cap made of white material and hurries to meet with his peers in front of the Coop building. There after a while, the foreman would come and count their number time after another to make sure that number is okay. Once their number is Okayed, the foreman led them to the fields. In the field, he starts divide them to groups, each to cater for one field. For instance in field No 1, the child have to stand in a queue in front of this field and the foreman recount them again then later give them the order to embark in the work. The foreman has to fix a red flag at the starting point of that field undergoing control work. This sign inform the agriculturist concerned that the works in going on in field No one. Beside this red sign, a big pot is made for burning of the infested cotton leaves collected in that day.

The foreman responsibility does not limit to collect of child laborers only. He has also to follow up the work done by the children. And for doing that, he would select four of the experienced boys to go through cotton cleared plants lines and make sure that no blots were left behind the workers. It also noticed that the foreman as he performing this job, he always hold a bamboo stick to beat whoever stop work to take rest during the work. Moreover, the area’s agriculturist officer responsible for pest control operations supervises the foreman duties. His notebook in which he register the number of laborers attended the work has to be audited and signed by this officer. That always being done after the officer ensured that the number in the book is exactly equals to that in field.

During their work day, children are only allowed to have a rest for 15 minutes at 11:00 am, during which they could only drink. They also take another break from 1 to 3 p.m., as the hotness of the sun prevents them from continuing their work. During that, time children are asked to collect the infested leaves and put them near the red flag, where the foreman could burn them later. This period also the only time allowed the children to have their food. They would set together in circles and share the food brought by every one of them. Following that they used run to nearest water canal and take off their clothes to have a bath and rest under trees lining the canal until the time become 3 p.m. 

Though the children became much lazy after getting their meal and bathing, they are ordered to resume their work. Many of them receive the foreman’s bamboo stick slashes for being lazy or reluctant in doing his work. The foreman always hits the kids for being fearing that an inspector might passed by his field, and punishes him because the children not rightly performing their work. The only anticipated punishment is a cut of his pay, which he is in badly need for each penny of it.

The report also discuss current conditions of child laborers working in the agricultural sector especially concerning their right to leaves, wages and feeding, etc. In this regard, it indicates that the current economic conditions constitute the main factor prodding these children to seek work at that age stage. Many cases have investigated in the report to focus on their educational backgrounds and the factors that forced them to accept work at this early stage of their age. The economic and social conditions of their families were also discussed.

It is of the Center opinion that child labor with all it has of complications, is need for all concerned people’s intention and efforts to openly discuss its economic, social and educational reasons.

Finally, the report urges all interested people to probe courageously the phenomenon of child labor with all what it has of complications. That would be through discussing all its economic and social reasons to find out the most suitable solution for it. Nevertheless, it would be the same scenario whenever we tried to foresee the futuristic prospective to improve the current work conditions of child labor in the agricultural sector. The creation of a real and subjective means for improving these children economic and social life condition would remains the only solution at hand. Regrettably, these conditions are expected to witness a steady dwindling, especially as the government has refrained itself from sustaining many of the national economic sectors and adhered to the market economy policy. Likewise, the soaring commodities and services costs are also expected to put its toll on the poor rural populations, who would finally find no other solution but to encourage their children to get work. That to lessen the burden on their families and make additional income. 

Undoubtedly, With the continuation of the prevailing circumstances, the number of child laborers would also increased steadily, which in turn lead to soaring of illiteracy rates in Egypt with all what has of bad effects on life conditions.

Finally Land Center for Human Rights sees a possibility for creating a multi-party program that would be responsible for upgrading the current conditions of child laborers at rural areas. Such program would be responsible for educating and training these children and finding out more chances of advance education for the distinguished ones of them. In the same time, the program would work to end the prevailing state of isolation existed between the child’s educational curricula and the fact at the rural community. In that way we would make, the rural child feels not alien to the cultivation as science and what being taught at school. 

So that, we are all invited to sincerely discuses such program so as not to stand idle before the one of the most dangers issues threatening the future of our coming generations. And to help these children return back to their right places at kindergarten and schools.

URGENT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Land Center for Human Rights recommends the child laborers in the hand control of the cotton worm to get a break for a quarter of hour after working for a complete hour, so that they could bear the scorching sun.

Providing the children with some juices or milk during the break to compensate the effort and energy they exert under the very hot weather.

Providing the necessary vaccines to protect them from the bites of snakes or insects to which they may expose.

Those children should get work contracts to guarantee many rights such as the health insurance , etc.

Their wages must raise to be five EL a day and the duration of work to be limited to seven hours a day.

Please if you would like to see the further recommendations and details of this specific issue under the hot weather of this summer, ask for the full report.

Back to List