Garmiyan officials threaten legal action for parents who force children to work

GARMIYAN, December 28 — Officials in Garmiyan administration have announced that parents of any child discovered working on the streets will face prompt legal action.

The High Council for Child Protection meets each month to assess the condition of children in the region, issuing requisite recommendations and decisions. Members include figures from the prosecutor general’s office, Garmiyan administration, police, health, and human rights organizations.

Zhilwan Adel Shukr, Director of the Garmiyan General Directorate of Social Development (GGDSD) and a council member, informed 964 that the decision extends to parents who do not face economic troubles, but still compel their children to work on the streets.

Shukr acknowledged a substantial number of children engage in street labor in Garmiyan, emphasizing the need for decisions issued by the council.

To address the issue, a committee has been formed within the council to investigate the prevalence of children working on the streets.

Shukr added, “Families of these children will be visited individually, to investigate their family life. If coercion is identified leading them to the streets, legal actions will be pursued, and they will be taken to court.”

Unofficial statistics from the GGDSD indicate that 150 children work on the streets in Garmiyan, with 122 of them concentrated in the center of Kalar district.