Child Labor in Egypt

                “Baliya” is the term used in popular Egyptian culture to refer to the working child who is recruited to aid his boss do the work that requires velocity and speed. But the conditions those children work under are likely to disrupt their pace and light steps. Each time child labor is brought up, the image of a child I once met during Eid comes to my mind. Sober and solemn, he was buying his goods without paying heed to the noisy celebration ceremonies around him. When I joked with him about Eid and the gifts, he immediately stunned be by saying: “I have forgotten what it’s like a long time ago.” But a kid so young should not even be supposed to say things like “long time ago.”