The first phase in the fight against child labor in Petra focused on collecting data on the number of children working in Petra and the activities that attract them.
On average there are around 350 children in the age of 7 to 12 years that drop out of school to work in tourism. In high season – also the school season - this number rises up to 600 children. They work as street vendors, horse and donkey leaders, assistants in beauty shops, sellers of souvenirs and beggars.
The second phase of this project, implemented in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in Amman, aims to involve the government, parents, schools and tourists in order to provide social protection and cultural rights to the children of Petra. The objectives:
1. Contribute to raising awareness among families in the targeted communities regarding the dangers of child labor and the potential effects on the future of their children. And motivate the parents to send their children back to school.
2. Provide information and training to teachers who possibly can prevent the children from dropping out school.
3. Contribute to the awareness of tourists regarding their potential contribution in the fight against child labor by refraining from buying from or dealing with them.
4. Organize events for children in order for them to reconnect with other – school attending – children. These events are aimed at working children who still attend school, children who dropped out of school and suffer from illiteracy and child laborers in specific locations who are subject to abuse.
5. Contribute to raising awareness among governmental institutions which are responsible to implement the law for the rights of children.
Third phase of the project in collaboration with Petra development
and tourism Region Authority, This phase aims
to confirm and strengthen the results of the second phase , Educate families in
the communities of the dangers of child labor, Provide information and training
to whom dealing with children , Issuing a series of awareness posters and
brochures; Which aims to educate
Petra
visitors about the
dangers of child labor and how their
contribution , in addition to providing protection quality child themselves as
target groups for children through the opening set of informal Classrooms
, aimed at encourage children to return to
school.