A field report by Seyaj on working boys in workshops, hotels, and street vending in Sana’a found that many children face direct and indirect exploitation.
Prepared as part of a project to combat child exploitation with support from the International Organization for Migration, the report found that children exposed to direct exploitation suffer physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as well as neglect. It also indicated that much of the abuse comes from within the family environment.
The report documented high school dropout rates among working children, serious psychological distress, and urgent needs for legal, psychosocial, and medical intervention. Many children who had left school required referral to rehabilitation and reintegration support in order to return to education and regain a safer environment.
Seyaj said the findings show how child labor is closely linked to ignorance of children’s rights, lack of guidance toward education, and wider vulnerability, and noted that it planned to place greater focus on working girls in the next phase.
