Glance into child work law examined by Egypt's House of Representatives

CAIRO – 10 January 2022: The House of Representatives is currently examining a draft law on child work, which sets a minimum age for hiring a minor, and guidelines the employer must abide by.

The draft law allows training a child on certain professions when they are at least 14, while they cannot be hired until they are at least 15. A child must not work more than six hours a day, and must be given a break after a maximum of four hours.

As for disabled children who wish to work, governmental bodies shall get involved in helping them find vacancies that suit their age and condition. Also, they should submit a report monthly to the Ministry of Social Solidarity on how the work experience is going for those children.

Minimum Age Convention No. 138 set the minimum age for admission to employment as the age of education completion. The education completion age in Egypt is 15 years old, while the minimum age for hazardous work and military recruitment is 18 years old.