Child Labor and Falling Rates of Literacy in Afghanistan
Date:25.04.2021
INTRODUCTION
I turn to right and left, in all the earth
I see no sense of justice, sense of worth
A man does evil deeds, and all his days
Are filled with luck and universal praise
- Shahnameh
It is hard to believe that Abolghasem Ferdousi penned the above lines not at looking at current Afghanistan but looking at 11th century Afghanistan. However, the same lines apply to present-day Afghanistan where we see child labor as an evil with no justice being done to it. This goes ahead to establish Mark Twain’s claim that no event or occurrence is sole or solitary in itself, but rather a repetition of something which has happened before. History repeats itself and in Afghanistan, it repeats multiple times.
36% of the Afghan population cannot meet their basic requirement (J. F. Trani et al., 2013). It has been found that rural areas of Afghanistan are suffering from extreme poverty because of a few reasons (J. F. Trani et al., 2013). These are adverse environmental conditions, mostly severe droughts, political instability, and poor governance. There also runs a parallel, illicit economy, which is built based on drug trafficking and poppy farming. One such poor population with the highest poverty level is Kuchi, a nomadic population.
Afghanistan is still reeling under the blues of an authoritarian regime. It has to be noted that the authority we are talking about here is none other than the perpetual evil of poverty, a red-eyed evil that has come into existence through a historical process, has maligned the society and has further malicious plans.
In spite of several economic reforms and governmental commitment, poverty reduction outcomes have been futile (World Bank, 2011a) with the majority of the programs facing a failure to percolate into all the strata of the society (Brinkley, 2013; Donini, 2007). Children are more inclined to child labor and abuse in Afghanistan contrasted with other least created nations. In Afghanistan, 28% of youngsters aged five to sixteen years are occupied with child labor (ILO, 2018).
To understand the root cause of child labor in Afghanistan, the researcher considers it imperative to do a brief review of the state of poverty in Afghanistan.
Poverty can be defined as a failure to meet the basic requirements of life and deprivation of basic capabilities (Sen, 1999). Such basic requirements are access to clean drinking water, nutrition, education, and healthcare (Sen, 1982). However, this is quite different from how Afghanistan's National Development Strategy defines poverty. According to ANDS, poverty is a reduction in income and consumption. Such a definition of poverty is remote from the basic premise of poverty.
The underlying drivers of child labor in Afghanistan can generally be credited to continuing war destitution and cross-border terrorism. On account of Afghanistan, destitution itself is a result of war. From the official reports of ILO, it has come to knowledge that many years of war have annihilated Afghanistan's abundance, social security frameworks, economy, and foundation. Advancement endeavors in recent years show that improvement without harmony, and harmony without both dependability and security has no effect. Afghanistan's poverty rate expanded from 37.4 percent in 2010 to 56.7 percent in 2017 (ILO, 2018).
All such factors cumulatively point out to the fact that education cuts a sorry figure in such areas. Up to 2019, Afghanistan recorded 5, 00,000 eligible children with no access to education (Afghan Education; Challenges and Solutions – Part (2) External Challenges – CSRS En, 2020). As per the official statistics, among rural kids, 48.5 percent of grade school age are out of school, as are 46.0 percent of lower secondary school age and 64.2 percent of those of upper secondary school age. Kuchi kids, young girls, and kids in the more unfortunate three abundance quintiles are all bound to be out of school than others (United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2018).
From the previous research works conducted for many years, one constant fact that cannot be overlooked that is Afghanistan's schooling framework has been crushed by over thirty years of perpetual friction and consistent miserable conditions of child labor which leads to the country's overall falling rate of literacy. For a large number of the nation's youngsters, finishing elementary school remains a far-off dream – particularly in country regions despite ongoing advancement in raising enrolment. In the least fortunate and distant spaces of the country, enrolment levels fluctuate widely (UNICEF, n.d.). It was reported that there were 40,880 ghost teachers, 1033 ghost schools, and 1400 illegal school constructions indicating embezzlement of 20 million USD (Afghan Education; Challenges and Solutions – Part (2) External Challenges – CSRS En, 2013)
From a different point of view, there are other factors as well for the falling rate of literacy in various parts of Afghanistan. As per (UNICEF, n.d.), apart from poverty and child labor, deficiency of schools and deficient transportation are the fundamental obstructions of access to education – a long distance to school implies fewer children go. Topographical obstructions, particularly in sloping regions, likewise make it difficult for children to arrive at the school. When they do make it, they frequently get a lower quality of academics because just 49% of their instructors have the lowest educational capabilities. The absence of access of child workers to subjective education is a caution that alerts against the rise of an illiterate and non-proficient age. Child laborers in Afghanistan suffer from mental damage and are deprived of admittance to proper schooling and academics.
BACKGROUND
Afghanistan has gone through a tumultuous period since the Soviet attack in 1978 (Kakar, 1995). Following the year of the late 1970s, it has been described by interminable conflict and clashes that have annihilated the state and every one of its foundations. This has come about into tremendous financial difficulties; mass joblessness and thus destitution have come to characterize families which is compelling kids from families to take part in casual work to meet their necessities, (Rubin, 1989-1990).
The situation was not like this during the Ghaznavid period, when around 800 poets lived in Ghazni, under the patronage of Shah Mahmud. However, this was followed by a train of events that destroyed the country. One such factor was ‘political fusion and fission (Dupree, 1965). This was followed by the invasion of Chingiz Khan, who largely devastated the irrigation system and the arrival of Tamerlane further added to the distress of the country. Such a society operates on the basis of subsistence where education is a dream.
In Dupree’s opinion, Afghanistan is an ‘inward-looking’ society of peasants and tribal populations. In such societies, Dupree notices that during the period of the 1960s, 95% illiteracy existed among the nomadic population, which is in stark contrast with the Islamic groups during that time. Such Islamic groups were literate but most parts of the country are rural. People are born into tribal societies and their fate is predetermined. In such times, the vocation of a person is determined by what his father did, a possible indication of a patriarchal society. Dupree remarks that such a peasant society is ‘born into answers’ and there are only fixed sets of questions to them (Dupree, 1965)
As per the study of Catani et al., (2008), in many parts of Afghanistan, sometimes it is entirely expected to observe kids as youthful under 14 years old taking part in some kind of business, especially in the factories, cover industry, automobiles, selling on the road, beseeching, or rummaging jars and bottles from the city's foul waste dump. As indicated by Afghanistan work laws, the basic age for labor is 15 years yet it is compromised to 14 years contingent upon if the family has no issue with it (Catani et al., 2008).
In their study paper, Biggeri et.al (2010) contend that the constancy of destitution in the nation is driving the kids to join the workforce market which has an unfriendly impact on their lives and the country as a whole. Henceforth, according to a politico-economic point of view, the presence of youngster work doesn't look good for the future perspective and monetary improvement of Afghanistan, both the extent and furthest point of child labor is a horrifying truth in Afghanistan. Not to mention the remainder of the country, there are 60000 kids just in the city of Kabul rummaging for the exposed endurance of their own (UNICEF, 2015).
According to the official reports of UNICEF, more than 5,000,000 young pupils, or 33% of Afghanistan's under 18 years of populace of about 15.6 million proper schoolings are denied by poverty, moderate traditions, profoundly established conventional qualities, absence of proper academic provisions and orthodox culture of sex segregation (UNICEF, 2013).
Presently, more than 10 million youth and grown-ups in Afghanistan are uneducated, in around 2016-17 the proficiency rate was at 35.7 percent (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), 2020). As reported by the World Bank, almost 50% of battle-ravaged Afghanistan's 17,500 schools need legitimate structures, and an expected 3.7 million school-matured kids are still out of school — regardless of huge interest in the country's schooling area (Faiez, 2020).
There are earlier innumerable research studies that discussed in detail child labor in Afghanistan and the poor structure of the educational system of the country, however, the researcher hereby attempts to confer the fact that child labor is one of the major reasons that has been causing the falling rate of literacy in various parts of Afghanistan.
HISTROY
In The State of the World’s Children 2005 (UNICEF 2004), the following working definition is proposed: “Children living in poverty experience deprivation of the material, spiritual and emotional resources needed to survive, develop and thrive, leaving them unable to enjoy their rights, achieve their full potential or participate as full and equal members of society.’’ To concentrate on the fact of the dropping rate of literacy we need to observe the circumstances of child poverty in Afghanistan, Biggeri et al. (2010) assessed that the multidimensionality of destitution burdens horrendous expenses on the future possibilities for a child's development. The predominance of child labor is thought of as a snag in the development of human resources in youngsters. We have found from the investigations of Emerson et al. (2007) and Psacharopoulos (1999) which showed us that youngster work is adversely related to lower levels of human capital. Youngster works, through the channels of time requirements (due to less accessible time for school), and physical furthermore, mental limitations (on account of weariness at the twilight of work), which represses the likely development of human resources in youngsters (Baland and Robinson 2000).
In Afghanistan, the preponderance of child labor goes from least 17 to the most extreme 45%. Both in size and seriousness, the marvel of child exploitation is profoundly predominant in western and southwestern parts of Afghanistan, while the predominance of youngster work is similarly lower in focal also, southeastern pieces Of Afghanistan, (Guimbert et.al 2008). From a few study papers, we can come to this point that family creation, especially the age and sex of family individuals, can influence choices to utilize youngster work since various individuals have unique admittance to work markets dependent on standards forming work assumptions. As verified previously, the age and well-being status of family individuals, especially of the "expected breadwinners", can affect the view of family weakness and choices about child labor, (AREU, 2008).
In another study, it has been assessed that children are especially denied in essential capacities as displayed by low school enrolment even in essential education and the helpless degree of admittance to medical care. The National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment found that the net enrolment proportion in essential education is 60.4 % for young boys and just 42.1 % for young girls. To arrive at the nearest well-being office, 46.2 % of rural Afghans need to walk more than an hour (VAU and CSO 2007). Extended conflict and proceeding with savagery have had a significant impact on the mental government assistance of youngsters
In the study of Mansory (2007), we have found the explanations behind falling out from literacy were primarily the requirement for work at home (poverty), and an unrealistic misconception that there is nothing to learn in schools due to helpless educating and learning conditions. For young ladies, early marriages, household chores, and distance to class were accounted for as significant explanations behind dropout. Children from poor and uneducated families drop out more than others; a sign that the gap between poor and rich may augment concerning education. A high disappointment rate was accounted for to happen in grades 3, 4, and 7 for example at the progress grades starting with one level then onto the next, which demonstrates a low level of students' accomplishments and results of students not being ready to proceed in the following grades.
According to Haider & Kumar (2019), Young ladies to young men enrolment proportion in 6-12 years have a serious level of compulsion with weakness to destitution recommending that helpless families oppress young girls opposite young boys in sending them to schools in Afghanistan. School-going young ladies from helpless families may be held to care for younger siblings in the families to free the females to take part in the labor market.
As one of the ways out to this problem, these children must stay separated from the nexus of society and the adults (Jansson-Boyd, 2010) (Biggeri & Mehrotra, 2011). This reminds the author of noted Indian economist, Dr Amartya Sen who commented, “What the capability perspective does in poverty analysis is to enhance the understanding of the nature and causes of poverty and deprivation by shifting primary attention away from means to ends that people have reason to pursue, and, correspondingly, to the freedoms” (Sen, 2005).
From a different perspective to find out the reason behind the drawback of literacy in Afghanistan we can focus on the contemporary period of reformation inside Afghanistan that has been tormented by endeavors to ruin reformist headways in education. To exhibit this, Klein, (2010) stated in his study that Canadians put up the Pir Mohammed School in 2005 however Taliban powers guaranteed its annihilation. “They closed the school in 2007, breaking all the windows and furniture, booby-trapping the place, lacing the surrounding area with improvised explosive devices (IEDs), daring the Canadians to reopen it.” Militant powers utilized viciousness, murder, terrorizing, and revolutionary strict translations to bring the academic framework to a granulating end. Schools were scorched, educators were killed, and essentially all females were denied admittance to essential academics. Islamic State of Iraq and Syria militants shut down more than a dozen schools forcibly (Beck, 2015).
THE PROBLEM
“Afghanistan has a low literacy rate and records a higher number of child labor. However, the impact of child labor on falling rates of literacy has not been studied.”
Educational Ignorance happens given the country's high scarcity level where numerous guardians can't manage the expenditure of the costs for their kids' schooling due to poverty. As indicated by Afghanistan's Central Statistics, 56% of the country's populace lives in destitution. Around 3.8 million children between the ages of 7 and 16 don't go to school, and 56 percent of them are young women. Youngsters cannot afford to go to class since they need to work extended periods to get by and accommodate their families' necessities. Militant commanders continually target school structures to use as drilling space, leaving numerous children in dread of going to classes (Hernandez, 2019).
Unfortunately, more than 2.9 million youngsters, or 37% of Afghan kids were out of school toward the beginning of the school year in March 2017 (World Bank, 2018). Given the ALCS overview 2016-17 Afghanistan is the seventh-least country on the planet in essential education (Mosadiq and Kaandorp, 2018). All the more explicitly, commonplace investigation shows that the extent of youngsters dropping education surpasses half in 15 regions including Kandahar. In Kandahar, 76% of school-level kids (84% female and 69% male) are deprived of going to school (World Bank, 2018). Likewise, the quantity of youngsters admitted to schools is a lot higher than the number of ones who completed the entire course of the academic duration because the quantity of pupils diminishes as they reach the functioning age for earning in Afghanistan. In this unique circumstance, Keeley and Little (2017) gauge that consistently about 1000 children are exiting school in Afghanistan.
In April 2010, Afghanistan ratified ILO Convention no. 182 which tries to curb the worst and most hazardous forms of child labor, and Convention no. 138, which stipulates the minimum age for employment. Even after that child, labor seems to be on the rise. Another important factor is the debt trap. Most of the families in Afghanistan, especially in the rural sides are immersed in heavy debts and it has been revealed from the UN reports. It has been seen from such studies that certain families work for more than 10 hours a day earning $15-18 per day. Unfortunately, it even includes minors. Another worst form of child labour prevalent in such societies is the practice of Bacha Bazi, where boys are sold by their families and coerced to become sex slaves. This type of exploitation is done on boys between 13 and 16.
Unfortunately, the absence of literary freedoms and the resultant high educational ignorance rates and absence of employment among most of Afghanistan's residents have been recognized as being among the significant reasons for underdevelopment and the horrible patterns of contention that have burdened the nation in the past since the mid-1970s (UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, 2016).
Discussion
The study addresses a basic issue. It tries to explore the reasons behind child labor and how it impacts the literacy level of the country. Though the Afghan government has taken a few steps to improve the situation, the evil still looms at large. It has worried international bodies like ILO, UNICEF, and UNESCO. The current study wants to highlight the problems from a new perspective. It requests social workers to elaborate study the topic from parental perspectives and social perspectives and wants to understand why children are forced to work.
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