Child labor, illegal immigration and school dropout are the most prominent issues facing the Egyptian child on his international day

Maat calls for the development and implementation of national plans to combat poverty and develop education

On November 20 of every year, the world celebrates the International Day of the Child, with the aim of promoting the rights and well-being of all children of the world, creating a suitable environment for children to live, and protecting them from all kinds of violence and discrimination, in conjunction with the United Nations adopting the Declaration on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Egypt has ratified with Other relevant international conventions and treaties, including the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and International Labor Organization Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labor, which requires the state's commitment to the provisions of these conventions as part of its international obligations, especially in light of the Egyptian government receiving a set of recommendations Related to the promotion and protection of the rights of the family and the child, ensuring access to education, ensuring the right to economic development and eliminating illegal migration, during the second session of the comprehensive periodic review that was held in November 2014.

In this regard, Egypt is still at the forefront of countries with high rates of child labor. According to the International Labor Organization, and based on the report of the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics issued in 2013, estimates of child labor reached nearly 2.2 million children, most of which are acts that threaten the health and safety of children. It also results in children being exposed to forms of violence, abuse, exploitation and abuse.

On the other hand, child dropout rates are high, especially in rural and poorer areas, to reach record rates due to the involvement of children in the labor market, high rates of poverty, lack of human transportation to and from schools, and early marriage, which affects the fulfillment of children's rights directly. .

Children in Egypt also suffer from exploitation represented by their use in illegal immigration, begging, exposure of children to early marriage, female genital mutilation, domestic violence and other practices prohibited by international humanitarian law and in contradiction with the Child Law and the Egyptian Constitution.

In this context, and on the occasion of the International Day of the Rights of the Child, the Foundation calls on the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, in its capacity as the national body entrusted with ensuring the promotion and protection of children's rights, to develop and follow up the implementation of a set of national plans that aim to find radical and permanent solutions to issues facing the fulfillment of the rights of the child and the family, especially By contributing to law enforcement and setting Egypt's international obligations in mind while discussing and passing legislation, public policies and related development plans to ensure their fulfillment, the Foundation also calls for the creation and implementation of a set of alternatives to contribute to alleviating the suffering of children, including the adoption of distance learning and expansion of Application of the one-semester school system.