Child water sellers in Baghdad highlight deepening poverty and child labor concerns

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Children selling bottled water on streets and intersections have become a common sight in Baghdad, with poverty and family hardship pushing minors into work that researchers say is spreading across Iraqi cities. Nine-year-old Mahmoud, a third-grade student, said he began selling water to support his mother and younger sister after his father was killed in a terrorist attack. He said the earnings are entirely his own and that he works outside school hours. Ten-year-old Suna said she turned to the streets to help meet the financial needs of her divorced mother. She is not enrolled in school and earns between 10,000 and 15,000 dinars a day, she said. Citizen Abbas Haffaji said children are increasingly drawn into such work because of poverty, the growing number of orphans and widows, and called for greater support for struggling families. Social researcher Manal Salih described child labor as a serious and expanding problem across Iraqi cities, driven by poverty, domestic disputes, school dropout and unemployment. She called on the government and relevant institutions to take effective steps to protect children and safeguard their right to education. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has previously implemented measures under a broader strategic plan to reduce child labor, including inspections of marketplaces, legal penalties for violating employers and the expansion of social protection networks for poor families.