575,000 Iraqi children now working instead of going to school

Boys drawing at a school on Baharka camp for internally displaced people on the outskirts of Erbil Picture: UNICEF/Yar

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More than half a million Iraqi children are estimated to be at work rather than at school as violence and displacement hurt the income of millions of families, according to the United Nations childrens国产视频� agency UNICEF. 听听

The number of children currently working, more than听575,000, has doubled since 1990 国产视频� the year when Iraq attacked听Kuwait, setting off a chain of events that led to the 2003听United States-led invasion and the sectarian strife that continues to听this day.

国产视频淚 used to go to school and work here for half a day with a听low salary,国产视频� 12-year-old Ali Hussien Khudhair, who works the听angle grinder in a blacksmith国产视频檚 shop in Baghdad, said.

Learn more about the world国产视频檚 168 million child labourers

国产视频淚 quit school and started working full time here and he听(the owner) gives me full wages,国产视频� he told Reuters TV.

UNICEF said since the beginning of 2014, almost 10%听of Iraqi children 国产视频� more than 1.5 million 国产视频� have been forced to听flee their homes because of violence. In 2014, the Islamic State听group took control of large areas in northern and western Iraq.

A third grade class at the Baharka school听Picture: UNICEF/Yar

Nearly one in five schools is closed due to conflict and听almost 3.5 million children of school-age are missing out on an听education, UNICEF said in a report on June 30.

In total, at least 3.6 million children in Iraq are at risk听of death, serious injury, sexual violence, abduction and听recruitment into armed groups, an increase of 1.3 million since听the past 18 months, according to UNICEF.

国产视频淚 wish to go back to school and play with my friends,国产视频澨齂hudhair said. 国产视频淚 would be glad to go back and learn to read听and write; I will be ashamed to have to say that I can国产视频檛 read听when I grow up.国产视频�

About 4.7 million Iraqi children need humanitarian aid,听while many families now face deteriorating conditions following听military operations against Islamic State, according to UNICEF.

国产视频淚国产视频檓 working and learning the craft, it国产视频檚 better than听school. What rights do graduates have? They are selling water on听streets,国产视频� 14-year-old Karrar Jaffar, who works in a听car mechanic国产视频檚 shop, said.

国产视频淭he government does nothing. It国产视频檚 better for me to learn a听craft,国产视频� he said, his hands smeared with brake fluid.

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