Abnaa AlMahrousa Foundation
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Child protection and Development
Program Aim
To create a protective environment for all children, especially the most vulnerable in Egypt to address their needs and ensure they receive their rights and that they are benefiting from accessible, effective, and sustainable child protection services in education, health and living conditions by using innovative and sustainable solutions.
All children have the right to be protected from all types of violence, exploitation and abuse. Yet many children in Egypt suffer various forms of violence, exploitation, human trafficking and Child labor. Girls are particularly vulnerable to various forms of abuse such as the prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage.
How we Act;we are providing tailored integrated and accessible services and programs, offering child protection, education, health and livelihoods support.
- Share information about child protection and good practices and Review and spread international experiences in child protection policies and highlight the lessons learned that can be useful to emulate.
- Analysis of child protection policies in Egypt and examine whether these policies are based on the rights-based model of child protection that is embodied in the Convention for Child Rights (CRC).
- Make recommendations for the development of a rights-based child protection system.
- Support Public and civil society partners to implement policies and provide quality services for children at risk. This includes case management and capacity building services, which assess the particular needs of at risk children and ensure that they are accessing the right services and support. Also train cadre of social workers, accountable for dealing with child protection cases.
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Child Rights
(child labor)
The term ‘child labor’ is often defined as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development” , it is “the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially or morally harmful.” according to International Labor Organization (ILO). It also refers to work that deprives children from schooling or leads them to leave school prematurely or to combine long hours of heavy work with education. There are three categories for child labor. The first category is “unconditional worst forms of child labor, which are internationally defined as slavery, trafficking, debt bondage and other forms of forced labor, forced recruitment of children for use in (…) and illicit activities.” The second one is the working of children below legal age. The third category is hazardous work.
Child labor is one of Egypt’s grand problems. It is estimated that the number of employed minor is 2.7 million, according to Cairo Post. Most working children are in rural areas, with 63% of working children toiling in agriculture, others work in the mining business, the construction sector, quarries, brick factories and industrial institutions. According to UNICEF Egypt, 5.6 percent of these children work under hazardous conditions. Not only does Egypt engage in the second and third child labor categories, but also in the unconditional worst forms of child labor, category one. Children in Egypt undergo commercial sexual exploitation and forced begging as a result of human trafficking. Thus, many children suffer from physical and mental health issues, in addition to missing educational opportunities which hinders them to effectively participate in economic activity, an ILO child labor expert elaborates.
Studies have shown that poverty is the mainstay of child labor in Egypt. According to a survey prepared by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in collaboration with ILO, 50% of working children work to help their families, almost 40% work to raise their families’ income. Putting children under the pressure of taking financial responsibilities of adult or even themselves is an abusive act. For this, we are dedicated to tackle child labor to create a healthy environment for Egyptian children to be raised in.
8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
Our Interventions
- Conduct Researches in child labor to reach best practices in addressing this issue.
- Lead awareness campaign through conferences, workshops and meetings to raise parents’awareness against sending children to work and stressing the health and psychological harm caused by child labor.
- To raise the awareness of business owners as well as children of their labor rights.
- Mapping child labor in Egyptian industries and build a database for child labor.
- Develop interventions according industries need and according to geographical areas.
- Partner with other Civil Society organizations to end all forms of worst child labor through.
- Policy Development through dialogue with policy makers and non-state actors.
- Advocating legal frame works that end all worst forms of child labor.
- Monitor worst forms of child labor and Report against them.
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HEALTH
We improve the health status of mothers and children in the most deprived areas in Egypt. Our fundamental goal is to empower families in Egypt’s most marginalized areas to help the families and their children to be healthy.
Our health programs are improving access to quality health services, and we respond to individual needs through health screening and support services.Our programs focus on:
• strengthening human and institutional capacities of local service providers;
• Promoting healthy maternal and child health and nutrition practices among mothers, women and community members. -
The aim is to increase the access to education of the most vulnerable and socially excluded children and to strengthen child protection. Our programs improve access to education, promote safe learning environments, strengthen the quality of education and build efficiency in organizational systems.
We promote ongoing professional development of learning systems. This is achieved through adaptation in teaching methods, a safe and stimulating learning environment, open and flexible curricula and modifications in school policies and strategies. It also encompasses strengthening school leadership, training for teachers, providing learning materials, and support for supervision, monitoring and evaluation systems.Our capacity building programs also include school health and nutrition programs. We build skills in child protection approaches and systems to reduce violence in schools, and build capacities to improve learning outcomes for girls and for boys, as well as children with disabilities.