Palestinian Child Labor in Israeli Settlements

Al-Jazeera published an article today about Palestinian children working in Israeli settlements. Israeli settlements have been deemed illegal according to international law. In the Jordan Valley, there are approximately 60,000 Palestinians and 9,500 Israelis living in 37 settlements.

Between 10000 to 20,000 Palestinians work inside Jordan Valley settlements, which varies according to the season. Five to ten percent of these numbers are child workers. These children often forgo school in order to make money for their families, who are often in or on the brink of poverty. There is a high drop out rate in the Jordan Valley because of the weak educational system, lack of adequate infrastructure, and Israeli restrictions on building new schools for Palestinians. According to a 2012 report from the Ma'an Development Centre, during the 2011/2012 school year, there were 10,000 children living in this area who started the school year in tents, caravans, or tin shacks. The report also notes that nearly one-third of schools here lack adequate water and sanitation facilities.

Children have been employed by settlers to clean, lift boxes, pick and package vegetables and fruit, working in extreme heat (up to 50-degrees Celcius) for eight to nine hour shifts. They earn approximately 50-90NIS ($14-$25) per shift, which is about 25-50 percent what they are entitled to under Israeli labor laws.

The short article is worth reading, as it touches upon the tough decisions children make in deciding to work in this context, including the push and pull factors hat influence their decisions.

[Photo: Ma'an Development Centre / Al Jazeera]

Household Livelihoods in Crisis Situations

The ways that households raise their children all over the world are shaped substantially by their livelihood opportunities and constraints. In crisis situations, there exist exacerbated challenges between a household’s efforts to address threats to its livelihoods and survival, and, at the same time, to ensure its children’s security and well-being. In acute and chronic crisis situations — from natural disaster, to armed conflict, to the HIV-AIDS pandemic — there are household strategies which cut across these contexts that households use to improve their security and reduce risks. These household coping strategies may enhance or undermine child security and well-being. The strategies that households adopt may cut across the traditional categories of emergencies. Agencies which intervene in crisis situations need to recognize the profound significance for children of these different household-level decisions and the implications for intervention. What are the protective strategies and interventions possible for households? How can opportunities be reinforced or created that enhance children’s safety and well-being? How can humanitarian and development agencies make good decisions and incorporate relevant interventions into their interventions? While there is a high global interest in household livelihoods behaviors, economic strengthening interventions, and social protection linkages, the evidence base to substantiate and define such linkages is still in its infancy.

Are there household livelihood strategies that cut across different crises, from natural disasters to armed conflicts to the HIV-AIDS pandemic? Or are livelihood strategies context-crisis specific? Do some of these household strategies support and protect children better than others? If so, can we identify what they are and how they work? Do livelihoods specialists understand the implications of their actions on child security and well-being? Do child protection specialists understand the economic pathways of child care and protection? Can linkages be improved? Can practice and policy bridges be built?