"Carrying thermoses through the streets of Gaza City, Palestinian teenager Mohammed Ashour calls out to passersby, hoping they might buy a cup of his coffee. At 15, Mohammed should be in school with his peers, but since his father was killed in Israel's genocidal war on Gaza, he has been forced to abandon his education and shoulder responsibilities as the breadwinner for his family."
"After his father was killed, we were left with no income at all, she said. She said Mohammed's older brothers were unable to find jobs, and she was unable to provide the family with anything. He's still a child, but he's carrying a responsibility that isn't his, she said. The circumstances pushed us into this. Aid agencies in Gaza say children have borne the brunt of the war, forcing them into additional responsibilities that would normally be the domain of adults."
Children in Gaza have been forced into work to help families survive after widespread parental deaths and economic devastation. Boys and girls as young as eight sell coffee, scavenge waste, or collect firewood, losing education and childhood opportunities. At least 39,000 children have lost one or both parents in the conflict, leaving many households without income and pushing minors into adult responsibilities. Families report inability to find alternative income sources after breadwinners were killed. Aid organisations and UNICEF are working with partners to try to prevent these negative coping mechanisms and provide support to affected families.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]