COI summary

[Main COI reference: Targeting, 12.2; Situation of women, 1.1.3]

Child labour is taking place in Syria but information on the extent of it is not available. However, a report indicated a ‘high occurrence’ of child labour that prevented school attendance.

The World Food Program (WFP) reported in 2019 that child labour was a major coping strategy among female-headed households in conflict-affected areas but did not specify how widespread it was. A report from August 2019 also noted that child labour was generally used as a negative coping mechanism to alleviate financial constraints.

In particular, child labour has been reported in families as coping strategy to meet basic needs in Rukban IDP camp on the border to Jordan.  It was also stated that in northwest Syria households experiencing multiple displacement became exposed to an increased threat of resorting to child labour. A report also indicated that child labour was occurring in communities across northern Idlib, likely exposing children there to abuse and exploitation. Boys are reportedly at greater risk of becoming subject to labouring than girls. On the other hand, young girls are forced to resort to negative coping mechanisms such as prostitution or survival sex, because they are in need of money and goods.

Working outside of their homes and not residing together with their family also exposes children to exploitation by gangs, or to joining gangs, to smoking and drug abuse, and to health hazards stemming from handling dangerous equipment. Spending most of their day outside their home, many working children returned home alone after dark, further exposing them to harassment, including sexual harassment.

Risk analysis

Not all forms of child labour would amount to persecution. An assessment should be made in light of the nature and conditions of the work and the age of the child. Work that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children could be considered to reach the severity of persecution.^[25] The impact of child labour on access to education should also be taken into account (see the subsection 2.13.5. Access to education). Other risks, such as involvement in criminal activities should also be considered.

Not all children would face the level of risk required to establish well-founded fear of persecution in relation to child labour. The individual assessment of whether or not there is a reasonable degree of likelihood for the applicant to face persecution should take into account risk-impacting circumstances, such as: age, gender, poor socio-economic status of the child and his or her family (for example being a member of a female-headed household), being in an IDP situation, region of origin or residence, etc. 

Nexus to a reason for persecution

The risk of child labour as such may not generally imply a nexus to a reason for persecution. However, the individual circumstances of the applicant need to be taken into account to determine whether or not a nexus to a reason for persecution can be substantiated.

See other topics concerning children: