In Lebanon, more and more boys and girls are being forced to work to help support their families. Child labour is not a choice: it is the result of poverty, displacement, insecurity, and a lack of alternatives.
They are not yet eighteen years old; often, they are much younger. In most cases, they do not go to school but spend their days in fields, on construction sites, in mechanic workshops, markets, and car washes. Others collect scrap metal or do domestic work. Many work between eight and twelve hours a day, often six days a week, for very low pay. This is the daily reality for countless children in Lebanon, where, after years of economic crisis, political instability, and reduced humanitarian assistance, child labour has become an extreme survival strategy for many families.
On the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour, we want to draw attention to this violation, which deprives millions of children of the right to grow, learn, play, and be protected. In Lebanon, this reality has become increasingly visible and urgent. What INTERSOS observes on the ground is not the consequence of cultural norms, but of growing pressure on families, worsened by war and displacement
Boys account for 60% of the cases identified by INTERSOS and are more often involved in physically demanding and dangerous work. Girls account for 40% of cases, but this figure risks underestimating the true scale of the problem: many forms of work performed by girls remain hidden because they take place inside homes, through domestic work, caregiving, or other informal activities that often remain invisible..
Poverty, displacement and lack of alternatives
Since 2019, Lebanon has been experiencing a deep economic crisis, which has drastically reduced purchasing power and increased the cost of living. Unemployment has also risen,many families struggle to cover even their most basic needs. This situation has been compounded by reduced humanitarian aid and legal barriers that limit adults’ access to decent work, particularly for many refugees. When income, savings, and protection networks are lacking, children’s work becomes, for some families, one of the few ways to pay rent, buy food and medicine, or cover the costs of going to school. In many cases, children often end up becoming the main source of income for the household.
In the 2025–2026 period alone, INTERSOS has supported more than 1,000 children affected by child labour in Lebanon. This number reflects a phenomenon that, however, cannot be understood through poverty alone: war and displacement have had a direct impact. Since the end of 2024, and even more severely since March 2026, the escalation of hostilities in Lebanon by Israel has caused new massive and unprecedented displacement, destroyed or disrupted already fragile livelihoods, affected agricultural and social essential services, and forced many families to leave their homes for the second or third time. According to UNICEF, more than 1.2 million people have been displaced, including over 390,000 children. Tens of thousands of people have sought refuge in collective shelters, many of which have been set up inside public schools. This marks the seventh consecutive year of major disruptions to education for children in Lebanon, who have endured the effects of multiple overlapping crises for decades. This situation increases the risk that they will enter the labour market instead of returning to the classroom.
The consequences and INTERSOS’ response
The loss of education is one of the most serious and long-lasting consequences. In a context where daily survival becomes the priority, for many families the choice is not between school and work, but between sending a child to work or being unable to meet essential needs — a choice no parent should ever be forced to make. The consequences go far beyond lost education. It exposes children to accidents, dangerous environments, exploitation, violence. They carry responsibilities that no child should bear. Many experience stress, exhaustion, anxiety, fear, and loss of hope. For girls, leaving school also increases the risk of early marriage and further forms of abuse. Behind every number, therefore, there is a child who is being deprived not only of the right to learn, but also of the chance to grow up safely, without having to take on responsibilities that belong to adults.
INTERSOS’ experience shows that awareness-raising alone is not enough. Many families know the risks of child labour, but they do not have real alternatives. This is why INTERSOS works with both children and families: it supports the most vulnerable cases through individual pathways, promotes return to and retention in school, provides psychosocial support to children and parents, and facilitates access to services. Whenever possible, it also provides economic assistance, helping to cover school-related expenses.
Preventing child labour should be a shared responsibility. It means supporting families over the long term by ensuring access to education, strengthening protection systems, and creating decent income opportunities for adults. Children can leave work only when their families are no longer forced to choose between survival and their children’s future.
No child should have to sacrifice their childhood to help their family survive. Protecting children from labour means defending every child’s right to learn, to play, to feel safe, and to build a future of their own.