Haidar calls for enhanced monitoring of child labor in Lebanon

BEIRUT — Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar announced Wednesday his intention to bolster oversight regarding the issue of child labor in Lebanon.

During a meeting of the National Committee to Combat Child Labor — which brought together representatives from several other ministries — he emphasized that child labor is a "fundamental cause."

Speaking before the participants, Haidar noted that this was the committee's first meeting since 2018, and expressed regret that the issue "has not received the attention it deserves" in recent years, which have been marked by a major socioeconomic and financial crisis in Lebanon.

He stressed that combating child labor "falls under the national responsibilities" of all concerned parties, "toward a fundamental cause related to our children." "Unfortunately, some children do not enjoy their rights; they are out of school and on the streets," he lamented.

In the Middle East and North Africa region, as studied by UNICEF — which includes Lebanon — 6.4 percent of children aged 5 to 17 are working, according to a report published in June 2025.

Faced with this situation, and as child labor has surged in Lebanon—particularly among refugee and migrant Syrian children — since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, according to UNICEF, the minister underscored that the committee would be tasked with developing the framework of an action plan to combat this phenomenon.

Child labor is banned in Lebanon under Decree 8987 of 2012, which notably stipulates that employment of minors under 18 is prohibited in jobs that could endanger their physical or moral health, or in jobs that could impede their education.