Thursday, March 02, 2006

Child Labor


He said he was nine. The denied he was here last Tuesday at 9, a school night. When he realized I'm interrogating rather than buying, he evaded by saying it's turning green. It's gonna be green now. شبت خضرا. Then he ran to the other side of the road.

Child labor in Kuwait. How long before someone puts a stop to it? Are these kids being sent by their parents? Are they copying all the other kids who are doing it and easily winning their parents' approval to do that? How is it even legal? They close the 'baqala' in our neighborhood (and other hoods of course) but this, they endorce ... Go figure!!!

Is there a Charles Dickens in Kuwait?

6 comments:

Jewaira said...

Hanan
I don't know why the ministry turns a blind eye to this. It has been going on for years and I see the same boys at the same place.

They are trained very well in what to say and how to act. It seems to me more like a gang rather than parents only. Once, the little boy begged me to buy a bottle of the spray saying he had to sell a certain number. I always lecture them when I see them.

It is a shame that they remain there year after year without the law enforcement doing anything to punish their parents for child abuse- they are there at late hours at night all days of the week

shosho said...

The government refuses to give their parents jobs or citizenships, how are they supposed to live?

nice said...

موضوع شيق
انا ما احب شوفتهم بالاشارة
ادري العازة تسوي جذيه بس اهاليهم يستغلونهم
المفروض يردون ديرتهم واهم يخشون جناسيهم
حسافة كان الحل عقب التحرير مباشرة جان كلهم ردوا للعراق ومنها لسوريا والسعودية
بس ماكو عصا سحرية وربعنا ماكو ادارة
وباجر كلهم بجنسونهم والحابل بيختلط بالنابل اكثر من الحين
وعقب كل هذا اقول عن نفسي مو عنصري :)

The Stallion said...

I actually got to know one of the boys who sells the sprays at the light a few years ago! That was when he was the only one selling! His dad, a high ranked millitary official, put him up to it in order for him not to go out at night and be mischivous!

3ad the boy was a great kid. Not the type that would be mischivous!

ScarlO said...

I know how you feel. You should see the ones that come begging in mosques and 7sainiyas (I won't name places) but if you give one of them a dinar, he'll tell the others that this person gave him and they'll all go ask you for money. It *is*, I guess, more of a gang thingy. And some women are so huge -mashalla- as healthy as bulls (or cows) and they walk around carrying an infant, two or three kids in tow and ask for money. I mean, go work for God's sake!

And those who stand by traffic lights? One day I saw young ones, I'd say they were 7 or something, they were so little you wouldn't be able to see them if they stood in front of a jeep, I swear I thought someone's going to bash into them or something. Dad would usually give them money and tell them to go home, he'd give like five or something which is stupid because the more you give, the more they stick to their now 'prosperous' spot.

I guess the government doesn't give two hoots and a rat's butt about it. Typical, I guess.

A Kuwaiti Dickens .. seems a bit impossible since most of them aren't actually Kuwaiti.

Ms. Sarah said...

i hate it when they come up to the car and some of them have that poor puppy eyes perfected... UKH..