Answering questions on the issue of child labor, Sekkouri explained that only 10,000 children out of a total of 7 million work, which represents less than 1.6%, noting that this indicator attests to Morocco’s efforts to combat this phenomenon.
Morocco « has managed to overcome the phenomenon of child labor under the age of 15, which is internationally prohibited according to all standards », said the minister, noting that over 80% of the working children are between the ages of 15 and 18.
Moreover, Sekkouri stressed that the majority of working children come from rural areas, where they help their families with generally seasonal work. He added that most of these children are not school dropouts, and are not subjected to any exploitation.
The minister emphasized that for more than two decades, Morocco, under the high benevolence of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, has paid particular attention to international conventions related to child labor, and has established mechanisms to monitor the implementation of these conventions.
