Child Labour in Egypt Survey (1991)

Collaborating institutions

The National Center for Social and Criminological Research, the International Labour Organisation

Sponsor

UNICEF

Related publications

Azer, 1993

Azer et.al., 1991

Citation

Dr. Adel Azer and Dr. Nahed Ramzy. Child Labour in Egypt. The National Center for Social and Criminological Research and UNICEF- Egypt. 1991.

Contact person

Adel Azer

For more details

• Objectives of the study
• Scope of the study
• Methodology
• Sample of working children

Objectives of the study

The study sought to achieve the following objectives:

· Examine the current legal stipulations which regulate the employment of minors.
· Assess and describe the nature of child labour in Egypt.
· Identify the negative impact of the phenomenon.
· Determine the exploitative aspects imposed on working children, whether by the family, the employers or by society as a whole.
· Identify the benefits - if any - which children derive from working.

Scope of the study

A multi-disciplinary approach is adopted by the study, encompassing the legal, socio-economic, psychological and health aspects related to the phenomenon.

1. Legal

A detailed study of the laws and regulations which deal with the issue of child labour and the protection of working children is undertaken, indicating the activities which are permitted and those which are prohibited for the different age categories. This aspect of the study explains the rights of working children and the employers' obligations concerning safety measures, working hours, wages etc.

2. Socio-economic issues are studied with a threefold perspective

a) The child. An analysis of working children's data (age, educational level, occupation and training) is undertaken based on the findings of the field work. The reasons for dropping out of school, the wages, his/her social relations, self-image, ambitions etc are issues included.

b) The family. Data pertaining to the child's family include number of family members, their educational and professional background, the family's income and those who contribute financially to the family's resources, the household and family possessions indicating the standard of living. The child's relationship with the family members, the views of the parents concerning education and child labour and their aspirations are also investigated.

c) The Work environment. A detailed investigation of the work place, the environmental hazards involved, the tasks performed by the child, the employer's attitude and treatment of the child, the safety measures available and their efficiency etc.

3. The psychological Study

The purpose of the psychological study is to assess the abilities of working children, their personal and social adjustment and other relevant characteristics. The following aspects were investigated and given special attention:

a) Intelligence. As child labour is closely related to school drop out, it is important to assess the effect of school drop out on the child's I.Q. level.

b) Personal adjustment. This is an indicator of the child's psychological health. This includes the child's feeling of security, independence, self and social image. 

c) Social adjustment. This is indicated by the child's ability to recognize the rights of others, the dstingtion between right or wrong, his/her acceptance of social rules and avoidance of anti-social behavior.

4. Medical investigation

The health dimension was undertaken by a specialist in occupational medicine, who examined a sample of working children to identify the impact of work on their health. Chronic and infection diseases were diagnosed and also respiratory diseases resulting from exposure to dust, fumes or other factors.

Moreover, accidents which occur during the performance of the jobs and their effects on the safety and health of the children were investigated.

Methodology

The field work included various methods. The legal aspects necessitated on investigation of legal documents and regulations, in addition to international conventions.
In assessing the socio-economic issues, the research team formulated two questionnaires: one for working children and the other for the mothers of working children. These were pre tested to ensure validity, reliability and comprehensiveness.
The psychological assessment was standardized and developed to assess the circumstance of working children.

The effect of work on children's health was determined by general medical examination, measurement of height, weight, the respiratory system's efficiency and through interviewers with workshop owners, the working children and their families.

Hazardous occupations and geographic locations
The study concentrated on the hazardous occupations which children perform. In choosing the occupations the research team chose industries and service workshops based on the criteria of Act No. 137, 1981 which specifies professional hazards. Accordingly four types were selected, these were textile industries, foundries or furnace-based industries, industries which use chemicals and mechanic workshops.

The areas chosen for the field work were Grater Cairo, incorporating the governorates of Qalyoubeya, Giza and Cairo and including both urban and rural areas. Each chosen area included at least two out of the four types of workshops chosen:
On this basis, the following areas were selected:
Cairo Governorate: Ain el Seera and Al Wayli (urban)
Qalyoubeya: Shubra El Kheima (urban)
Meit Namma (rural)
Giza Saqiet Mekki (urban)
Nahia village (rural)

Sample of working children

As child labour is illegal, it was not easy to choose the sample of working children. The research team tried several sources, including the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, the Egyptian Industrial Union, the Industrial Chamber of Commerce Professional Associations and the Labour Force License Administration. None of these sources had registries of working children.

As an alternative a quick survey of the workshops in the selected areas was conducted before sample selection. The following criteria were adopted to exclude:
1. Workshops which did not employ children.
2. Workshops in which the owners-refused to cooperate.
3. Workshops which did not employ the required age limits adopted by the study, i.e. working children aged 6 to below 15 years.

Thus the workshops representing the four chosen hazardous occupations were chosen. From the chosen workshops, the sample of working children was identified. The total number of the sample was 566 children, both male and female. Those aged between six and twelve years (the category prohibited from any employment) totaled one hundred and ninety seven children (35% of the total sample). The second category between over 12 years to below 15 years (the category between over 12 years to below 15 years (the category who should not be employed in hazardous occupations) totaled three hundred and sixty nine children (65% of total sample).
The male -female ratio was 513 to 53. This is due to the nature of the occupations in the workshops which are hazardous and are not usually performed by girls.

The following table illustrates the age and sex ratio of the sample:

The distribution of working children by type of workshop is indicated in the following table:

All images are copyrighted to Nassif Azmy
@ Social Research Center
Suggestions and Comments to: srchild@aucegypt.edu