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A workshop around "the worst forms of work and exploitation...who stops violence against children" 27th of May 2005

The workshop was held at Karitas on the 27th of May 2005 where it discussed the different forms of violence against children and more than 100 participants attended it from women’s and children’s rights institutions. The workshop was attended by 8 lawyers, 12 journalists, 18 farmers, 38 organizations, 6 doctors, 5 researchers, 8 teachers and 6 children from 16 different govern rates where 8 were from Geiza, 5 from Souhage, 4 from Kafr El Sheikh, 2 from Alexandria, 5 from Beheira, 38 from Cairo, 10 from Beny Sweiff, 4 from Ismailleya, 4 from Fayoum, 5 from Menya, 4 from Sharquieya, 3 from Daquahleya, 2 from Gharbeya, 2 from Damyetta, 4 from Quena and one from Port Said. The women represented 47% and men 53% in addition to researchers and lawyers from the LCHR.
The workshop started by a word from Mr. Karam SABER head of the LCHR about the spread of violence and exploitation of children in many parts of the world, and the importance of making efforts to exterminate this phenomena and protect the children’s rights, then he discussed the political, social and economic aspects of the violence against children and how it leads to increasing the violence and abuse towards the marginalized groups especially children in Egypt.
Then the audience has discussed the reasons behind this phenomenon such as the unemployment and the economic, social and intellectual crisis in the Egyptian society.
They affirmed the presence of a gap between the states institutions and the citizens where there are neither effective discussions nor strategies to develop the educational process. They also confirmed that the violence against children in Cairo represents 30% where the violence against female children is higher than that against male children about 63% varying between rape, murder, abuse and beating. Also the consequences of negligence on children and how it leads to negative effects on the growing up of children, then they discussed the different forms of violence against children in the light of the international agreements and the various rights which should be protect by the state, also about the children’s rights as a part of the international declaration of children’s rights and the agreement of children’s rights. After that they discussed the different aspects of the children abuse phenomena in the light of the international laws and agreements, the sexual abuse of children, its reasons and its results. They have also discussed the dangers to which children are subjected while working in the agricultural sector such as exposure to pesticides and fertilizers, the concept of violence and its different forms such as the physical, the economic and the ethical violence.
The audience discussed as well the problems which the children face in the countryside, the impacts of the cancellation of the agricultural cooperative movement, the Agricultural Development Credit Bank problems, the application of the 1992 law No. 96 which lead to the evacuation of farmers from their lands and consequently a tremendous increase in offer of working hands from women and children met by a huge decrease in daily wages controlled by the landlords, the contractors and sub contractors. In the meeting the participants have also discussed the road accidents to which the children are subjected on their way to and back from work, in addition to other accidents while working in the cotton industry and the marble grinds, finally they went through the issue of human's trade and the different forms of work in factories, bars, farms and organs trade.