I often find myself thinking—what if I had been born somewhere else?
What would my childhood and the childhood of my generation look like?
What kind of people would we be if we didn’t have the war behind us, and if we hadn’t had to do work that was too heavy and inappropriate for our age?
Necessity changes the law – they say – and new circumstances bring new rules that erase everything that is normal and natural.
I used to see it as an experience that made me stronger and filled me with empathy for the wounded, the vulnerable, and the deprived – especially when it comes to children.
Still, I wish the war had never happened – and with it, that experience.
Every small, innocent being that comes into this world to grow, enrich it with their presence, help humanity evolve and make their contribution, should grow up in peace, safe in the arms of their family…
Unfortunately, not everyone is that lucky.
Many children around the world don’t know what freedom, laughter, or carefree joy means.
Due to various life circumstances – whether it’s war, poverty, neglect, child trafficking, or other cruel realities – children find themselves in desperate situations where their labor is mercilessly exploited.
The mistreatment they endure breaks them mentally, leaving them ill and robbed of ever knowing what it means to be a child.
According to data from the International Labour Organization, over 218 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are currently employed worldwide.
Among them, 152 million are victims of child labor, and nearly half – 73 million – work under hazardous conditions.
Almost half of all child labor (72.1 million) is in Africa; 62.1 million in Asia and the Pacific; 10.7 million in the Americas; 1.2 million in Arab states; and 5.5 million in Europe and Central Asia.
Out of the total 152 million children forced into child labor, 88 million are boys and 64 million are girls.
It seems boys are at higher risk of child labor than girls, but this may also reflect underreporting of girls who are engaged in household work inappropriate for their age.
Still, no statistic can capture the tears of a single child who’s lost their home, who works just to survive, and who carries more sorrow in their eyes than anyone ever should.
On this day, we cannot remain silent.
I cannot look at the photos from Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Afghanistan… and think this is just another “difficult topic.”
This is reality for millions of children whose childhoods have been stolen—where labor and fear have become their everyday life.
That’s why we must speak up. We must fight.
Because the child who collects stones, scrap metal, and firewood today just to survive, could be building a better world tomorrow – if only we give them a chance.
Because…
No child should have to work.
No child should have to survive.
Every child has the right to a life – not a fight to stay alive.
For the children of Gaza. For the children of the world. For humanity.
Amra Agić
Administrator and PR at the Center for Education
and Socialization
The views and opinions expressed in the blogs published under the Towards 2030 initiative are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Balkan Forum.
