ACTIVISTS DENOUNCE EGYPT CHILD LABOR

Millions of Egyptian children are working illegally in factories and as servants, facing hazards such as burns, beatings and sexual abuse by employers.  There are no government statistics on the problem but the number of working children under age 15 could exceed 4 million.  Most of the children are employed in mechanical workshops, but they also work on farms and in the chemical, steel and construction industries.  Among girls working as house maids, physical and sexual abuse is a common.  The state run Supreme Council for Childhood and Motherhood has launched a program aimed at reducing child labor by providing low income families with loans and grants to set up their own businesses.  The program also provides education and health services for working children.

(Cairo, Egypt)