"Campaign to curb child labour launched amid reports of rising rates", 24 June 2018

The Ministry of Labour... launched an “extensive” inspection campaign aimed at combating child labour on all industrial, service and commercial establishments across the Kingdom, amid reports of “doubled rates” of the phenomenon... The campaign, which will run for a month, will ensure the application of the provisions of the Labour Law on child work and prevent the operation of youth in “dangerous, burdensome or harmful work spaces”, the ministry’s media directorate said in a statement... During the first half of 2018, the Ministry of Labour has dealt with a total of 105 cases of child labour, recorded 89 violations of the Labour Law and issued 85 warnings to employers. But despite the efforts undertaken by the government, child labour rates have roughly doubled as compared to pre-regional crises figures, Save the Children warned in its End of Childhood Index of 2018. In 2016, over 76,000 children were working in the Kingdom, according to the latest figures issued by the ILO in cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, 45,000 of whom were performing tasks under hazardous conditions...