Social Welfare Centers in Afghanistan

According to a report, provided by the BBC, about 9 million children go to school from all 15 million children in Afghanistan and more than one million are busy in work for a living or to help their families. Many are employed in jobs that can result in illness, injury, or even death due to hazardous working conditions and poor enforcement of safety and health standards.

Child work and violation of law face the children and their families with some problem.

AWEPO’s writer/producer has to some children, their parents about this issue.

Abdul Manan, a shopkeeper of Ghazni province says: "one day I had necessary work and I left my shop to my small son. When I came back, my son told me that a boy grabbed one thousand Afghanis note from the money box. after knowing the signs of that boy,  I understood him. He was our neighbor’s son who was working as an apprentice with a mechanic. I shared the issue with his father and the boy accepted his mistake and he gave me back only five hundred Afghanis.”

A nine-year-old boy from Nangarhar province says: “once I had a quarrel with a boy and he had a knife in his hand. I grabbed the knife from his hand and I attacked him and he died at the same time. Now I always scare at night and could not sleep and cry that why I killed that boy.”

What is the duty of social welfare centers?

AEPO’ writer/producer has talked to Asadullah Khalili, a member of the social welfare center, Jalalabad city, Nangarhar province about the activities of the mentioned center. Khalili says: “the social welfare center helps children in need. These children study for 6 months and they learn a profession and at the end of the course, the center prepares them the needed instruments according to their profession. About 87 girls and boys are graduated from this center yet. The difference between a juvenile rehabilitation center with this center is that we offer the alternative of imprisonment and the children could go home after four hours of work daily.”

What do the members of the social welfare center say about their activities?

A boy, Irfan says: “I am learning sewing with tailoring machine in this center. Teachers also teach us writing and reading.”

Another child says that he likes to learn cricket. A teacher helps him in this field and he also learns reading and writing here in this center.

What do the children say about the benefits of this center?

A child, Karim says: “before my coming to this center if someone gave me some money, I would like to make myself suicide bomber but now this center has already changed my mind and I want to live like other children.”

Another child says that he hated everything even himself but here in this center, he learned sewing and he could read and write too and he is very happy.

Khalili says that the life of the children graduated from this center is fully change. Now they could read and write and have an occupation and they economically help their families.