<p>At dusk the converted school bus pulled up to the little park as it does every Friday evening, and a line began to form. A man with a clipboard made his way down the line taking names and asking questions: “You need any socks or hygiene kits tonight? Anything I can pray for?”</p>

<p>Then came the main event: Volunteers in the bus, run by a group called City Relief, handed each waiting person a cup of hot vegetable soup, two big rolls and a cup of hot chocolate.</p>

<p>Among the regulars waiting here, at Peter Francisco Park behind Newark Penn Station, the news that city officials plan to make it harder to give food to homeless people did not go over well.</p>

<p>“I think it’s wrong,” Olivia Fontana, 40, who has lived in a shelter for the past year, said this month as she waited in the soup line, which typically feeds about 60 people. “People need to eat.”</p>

<p>A few days before Thanksgiving, the city sent out an email to churches and relief organizations announcing that it was prohibiting feeding homeless people in public places, including parks and the train station.</p>

<p>After inquiries from The New York Times about the policy, the city shifted and said that groups who give out food would need a permit and that the new rule would be specifically targeted at those who give food to the homeless.</p>

<p>“The ordinance the city is working on will prohibit agencies and individuals without a permit from feeding residents without addresses,” a spokeswoman for Mayor Ras Baraka said in an email. “All violators will be ticketed and fined.”</p>

<p>Putting restrictions on perhaps the most fundamental act of human charity, feeding the hungry, may seem harsh. But many places do it. According to a 2019 report from the National Homelessness Law Center, at least 17 cities across the U.S. either ban giving out food in public areas or require permits for it, some with onerous conditions attached.</p>

<p>Tristia Bauman, a senior attorney at the law center, said that by singling out homeless people, Newark’s ordinance could violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and also impinge food donors’ First Amendment rights, since courts have found that food sharing is a form of protected speech.</p>

<p>“This discriminatory restriction seems based on animus toward people experiencing homelessness, rather than a legitimate government interest,” Bauman said in an email.</p>

<p>A few miles away in New York City, the Coalition for the Homeless serves about 1,000 hot meals seven nights a week in 25 pop-up locations. While the city technically requires a $70-a-year permit to serve food “at a fixed location for a temporary period of time,” the group has never been asked for a distribution permit, said David Giffen, the coalition’s executive director, adding “nor do we think we should be.”</p>

<p>“In terms of going to the streets and handing out meals, people are just hungry, and we have to feed them,” Giffen said. “This can’t be buried in bureaucratic morasses. We have to be able to respond to a need. These are life-or-death issues.”</p>

<p>Newark officials offered various reasons for the crackdown, saying the city needed to ensure that food being given out was safe, and that distributing food in public places actually encouraged street homelessness. The city wants those who wish to donate food to bring it to shelters and soup kitchens instead.</p>

<p>But the shifting ground also reflects a struggle over marquee public space.</p>

<p>Restrictions on food handouts have been pushed by a business-improvement group in the Ironbound neighborhood, which includes Peter Francisco Park, a well-trodden 1-acre triangle where weekends bring a steady stream of food donors and often end with the park filled with litter. The Ironbound, like much of Newark’s downtown, is undergoing a wave of redevelopment.</p>

<p>Seth Grossman, executive director of the Ironbound Business Improvement District, said groups that brought food sometimes did not clean up trash left behind.</p>

<p>“It’s always important to be a good neighbor, and what constitutes a good neighbor is a person who is safe, clean and considerate of each other,” he said.</p>

<p>Newark’s move to limit food handouts, which the city has periodically discussed for at least five years, also comes as the state of New Jersey and New Jersey Transit are gearing up for a $190 million makeover of Newark Penn Station, an 85-year-old neoclassical behemoth where one morning this month a dozen men were slumped across long benches in the grand, high-ceilinged waiting room.</p>

<p>Like cities across the country, Newark—New Jersey’s biggest city, with a population of 311,000 — has seen homelessness worsen during the pandemic. The nonprofit that the city contracts with to do homeless outreach, Bridges, has tallied 1,366 people who have spent an unsheltered night so far this year. The equivalent figure in New York City, which has nearly 30 times as many residents as Newark, would be about 37,000 unsheltered people, far higher than any estimate of New York’s street-homeless population.</p>

<p>Under Baraka, the city has taken steps to reduce homelessness. He created an office of homeless services last year and appointed a former Bridges official, Sakinah Hoyte, to be the city’s homelessness czar. This year, the city opened a housing facility called Hope Village, made from converted shipping containers, which is designed to help transition people who live in and around the train station into permanent housing. The city is converting a former schoolhouse into another shelter and housing-services center.</p>

<p>It was in the context of these new programs that Hoyte sent out a “public feeding letter” on Nov. 19 announcing an outright ban on giving food to homeless people in public areas.</p>

<p>“Feeding people in parks doesn’t encourage any sort of transitioning folks into housing,” Hoyte said in an interview. “It keeps people living on sidewalks and sleeping outside.”</p>

<p>She said the city welcomed relief groups offering homeless people emergency supplies like warm clothes and helping connect them to social services, but that public feeding should not be part of the picture.</p>

<p>To City Relief’s chief program officer, Josiah Haken, this approach seemed backward: Offering people food where they are, he said, is often the first step to getting them off the street.</p>

<p>“The meal is really important,” he said. “It’s what helps us build trust, and we leverage that trust to help people move forward. The simple truth is that there aren’t enough resources in Newark for the people that are in the street.”</p>

<p>Besides, he said, no one decides to live in the street or a train station, rather than in an apartment, because of the convenience of a nearby free meal.</p>

<p>The day after Hoyte spoke to the Times, the city had changed course and said it would require permits instead. Haken said City Relief would abide by the city’s permit process.</p>

<p>Inside the train station this month, several men who live there said they had sometimes seen the New Jersey Transit police telling groups that came in with food donations to distribute the food outside.</p>

<p>“I saw them stop people from coming in here the other day,” said Eugene Bradley, 41. “It’s stupid, inconsiderate and pointless.”</p>

<p>But Vincent Jiles, 57, who has lived in the station for three years, said he understood that New Jersey Transit was trying to run a train station, not a shelter.</p>

<p>“This is a place of business,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of movement through here, and by distributing food, it can interrupt the businesses.” Sometimes when people bring in food, he said, “People go a little crazy, and then it can make a big mess.”</p>


At dusk the converted school bus pulled up to the little park as it does every Friday evening, and a line began to form. A man with a clipboard made his way down the line taking names and asking questions: “You need any socks or hygiene kits tonight?

At dusk the converted school bus pulled up to the little park as it does every Friday evening, and a line began to form. A man with a clipboard made his way down the line taking names and asking questions: “You need any socks or hygiene kits tonight? Anything I can pray for?” Then came the main event: Volunteers in the bus, run by a group called City Relief, handed each waiting person a cup of hot vegetable soup, two big rolls and a cup of hot chocolate. Among the regulars waiting here, at Peter Francisco Park behind Newark Penn Station, the news that city officials plan to make it harder to give food to homeless people did not go over well. “I think it’s wrong,” Olivia Fontana, 40, who has lived in a shelter for the past year, said this month as she waited in the soup line, which typically feeds about 60 people. “People need to eat.” A few days before Thanksgiving, the city sent out an email to churches and relief organizations announcing that it was prohibiting feeding homeless people in public places, including parks and the train station. After inquiries from The New York Times about the policy, the city shifted and said that groups who give out food would need a permit and that the new rule would be specifically targeted at those who give food to the homeless. “The ordinance the city is working on will prohibit agencies and individuals without a permit from feeding residents without addresses,” a spokeswoman for Mayor Ras Baraka said in an email. “All violators will be ticketed and fined.” Putting restrictions on perhaps the most fundamental act of human charity, feeding the hungry, may seem harsh. But many places do it. According to a 2019 report from the National Homelessness Law Center, at least 17 cities across the U.S. either ban giving out food in public areas or require permits for it, some with onerous conditions attached. Tristia Bauman, a senior attorney at the law center, said that by singling out homeless people, Newark’s ordinance could violate the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause and also impinge food donors’ First Amendment rights, since courts have found that food sharing is a form of protected speech. “This discriminatory restriction seems based on animus toward people experiencing homelessness, rather than a legitimate government interest,” Bauman said in an email. A few miles away in New York City, the Coalition for the Homeless serves about 1,000 hot meals seven nights a week in 25 pop-up locations. While the city technically requires a $70-a-year permit to serve food “at a fixed location for a temporary period of time,” the group has never been asked for a distribution permit, said David Giffen, the coalition’s executive director, adding “nor do we think we should be.” “In terms of going to the streets and handing out meals, people are just hungry, and we have to feed them,” Giffen said. “This can’t be buried in bureaucratic morasses. We have to be able to respond to a need. These are life-or-death issues.” Newark officials offered various reasons for the crackdown, saying the city needed to ensure that food being given out was safe, and that distributing food in public places actually encouraged street homelessness. The city wants those who wish to donate food to bring it to shelters and soup kitchens instead. But the shifting ground also reflects a struggle over marquee public space. Restrictions on food handouts have been pushed by a business-improvement group in the Ironbound neighborhood, which includes Peter Francisco Park, a well-trodden 1-acre triangle where weekends bring a steady stream of food donors and often end with the park filled with litter. The Ironbound, like much of Newark’s downtown, is undergoing a wave of redevelopment. Seth Grossman, executive director of the Ironbound Business Improvement District, said groups that brought food sometimes did not clean up trash left behind. “It’s always important to be a good neighbor, and what constitutes a good neighbor is a person who is safe, clean and considerate of each other,” he said. Newark’s move to limit food handouts, which the city has periodically discussed for at least five years, also comes as the state of New Jersey and New Jersey Transit are gearing up for a $190 million makeover of Newark Penn Station, an 85-year-old neoclassical behemoth where one morning this month a dozen men were slumped across long benches in the grand, high-ceilinged waiting room. Like cities across the country, Newark—New Jersey’s biggest city, with a population of 311,000 — has seen homelessness worsen during the pandemic. The nonprofit that the city contracts with to do homeless outreach, Bridges, has tallied 1,366 people who have spent an unsheltered night so far this year. The equivalent figure in New York City, which has nearly 30 times as many residents as Newark, would be about 37,000 unsheltered people, far higher than any estimate of New York’s street-homeless population. Under Baraka, the city has taken steps to reduce homelessness. He created an office of homeless services last year and appointed a former Bridges official, Sakinah Hoyte, to be the city’s homelessness czar. This year, the city opened a housing facility called Hope Village, made from converted shipping containers, which is designed to help transition people who live in and around the train station into permanent housing. The city is converting a former schoolhouse into another shelter and housing-services center. It was in the context of these new programs that Hoyte sent out a “public feeding letter” on Nov. 19 announcing an outright ban on giving food to homeless people in public areas. “Feeding people in parks doesn’t encourage any sort of transitioning folks into housing,” Hoyte said in an interview. “It keeps people living on sidewalks and sleeping outside.” She said the city welcomed relief groups offering homeless people emergency supplies like warm clothes and helping connect them to social services, but that public feeding should not be part of the picture. To City Relief’s chief program officer, Josiah Haken, this approach seemed backward: Offering people food where they are, he said, is often the first step to getting them off the street. “The meal is really important,” he said. “It’s what helps us build trust, and we leverage that trust to help people move forward. The simple truth is that there aren’t enough resources in Newark for the people that are in the street.” Besides, he said, no one decides to live in the street or a train station, rather than in an apartment, because of the convenience of a nearby free meal. The day after Hoyte spoke to the Times, the city had changed course and said it would require permits instead. Haken said City Relief would abide by the city’s permit process. Inside the train station this month, several men who live there said they had sometimes seen the New Jersey Transit police telling groups that came in with food donations to distribute the food outside. “I saw them stop people from coming in here the other day,” said Eugene Bradley, 41. “It’s stupid, inconsiderate and pointless.” But Vincent Jiles, 57, who has lived in the station for three years, said he understood that New Jersey Transit was trying to run a train station, not a shelter. “This is a place of business,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of movement through here, and by distributing food, it can interrupt the businesses.” Sometimes when people bring in food, he said, “People go a little crazy, and then it can make a big mess.”

Feed the hungry? You’ll need a permit for that. 

<p dir="ltr">Chandra Shekhar Kundu from north Indian state West Bengal couldn&rsquo;t sleep one night when he saw two kids scavenging for food in a trash can. They looked malnourished and seemed desperate to find anything to eat. Shekhar was out that night, throwing trash after celebrating his son&rsquo;s birthday. He went back home looking for anything to give them but had no luck. He then tried to chance upon any eatery that might be open but came back disheartened.</p>

<p>That night, Chandra Shekhar Kundu, a computer science teacher at&nbsp;an engineering college did not sleep at all as he &ldquo;couldn&rsquo;t get their image out of (his) head. It stuck&rdquo;.</p>

<p>According to a recent report published by the UN&rsquo;s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year, approximately 1.3 billion tonnes, gets lost or wasted. This, when The Hunger Project reports, roughly one in nine people in the world do not have enough to eat.</p>

<p><strong>Less Food or Wastage</strong></p>

<p>The world statistics indicate that hunger as a global problem does not majorly arise due to a shortage of food&nbsp;if at all it does, but because of mismanagement and imbalances in storage facilities, lack&nbsp;of access and a problem with our collective conscience.</p>

<p>&ldquo;My conscience, it&nbsp;is what didn&rsquo;t let me sleep that night&rdquo;, says Chandra Shekhar Kundu.</p>

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<p>After that fateful night, Shekhar went back to college and with the help of some of his students made a documentary on food wastage. The film helped raise awareness in college and thus led to a reduced food wastage in the college canteen. It was his first victory.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Shekhar then started an organisation called Food Education and Economic Development (FEED) in 2016 to procure and provide food to the underprivileged and hungry kids in his area under Save Food, Save Life initiative. Shekhar along with a group of 135 students, teachers and social activists have tied up with hostels and mess facilities of Police and CISF barracks. He says, &ldquo;We get our stock of food from these barracks, their hostel and canteens. We are able to feed 100 children daily with this food that would have otherwise been wasted. Also, if anyone has leftover food then they call us on the helpline number and we go collect it. This food, I mention, is always fresh and not stale ever.&rdquo;</p>

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<p>Children in West Bengal happy after getting a free meal from FEED (WION)</p>
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<p>One-third food produced every year is wasted. A kid here in the picture enjoying his food given by volunteers of FEED. (WION)</p>
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<p>His initiative is now also recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations where he discusses ways to improve upon his work. He, however, feels that the government is not very proactive in its approach to reducing&nbsp;food wastage. He adds, &ldquo;I wrote to the President of India about how this wastage should stop but there was no campaign, no reply till three months. But the State government was much more supportive.&rdquo;</p>

<p><strong>A Mere Topic of Discussion?</strong></p>

<p>Discussed regularly at world forums now, food wastage as an issue has taken the shape of an intellectual and&nbsp;politicised discourse.</p>

<p>Recognised institutes undertaking the job of studying the problems of food wastage report that the wastage happens at every level and in different ways globally. In developed countries of the Western world, consumers contribute to food wastage in high amounts while in lesser developed and developing countries like India, it happens at the retailer stage where prepared food is being sold.</p>

<p>Shekhar adds, &ldquo;When I started, I went around asking for leftover food of the day from various hotels and restaurants but I didn&rsquo;t get a positive response. They just wouldn&#39;t agree to give; their major concern would be &lsquo;what if someone falls sick after he or she eats, then who will take the responsibility?&rsquo; It was very tough to convince them that we would deliver the food within one hour&rsquo;s time.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>So, in practice, these major retail eatery joints are happy throwing away the leftover food but not give it to those who need. That is where we, as a society, have failed.</p>

<p>While Chandra Shekhar Kundu continues to serve the underprivileged children in his vicinity with food and has recently opened a kindergarten school to educate those who can&rsquo;t afford, there is Islamic Relief Foundation which started a campaign called #GiftAMeal to feed the poor and underprivileged on the occasion of Ramadan, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion.</p>

<p>The campaign in India sourced its food from large restaurant chains like Nazeer Foods, Saleem&rsquo;s, Al Bake, Karim&rsquo;s and Hotel River View once a week for for a month. Thus, during the holy month of fasting, the organisation was able to feed poor people belonging to slum clusters, <em>raiin baseras</em> and homeless who sleep on the streets of Delhi and around the National Capital Region.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Islamic Relief Foundation volunteers distribute food packets to a slum kid (WION)</p>
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<p>People of a slum in Delhi get together to receive their free meal from Islamic Relief Foundation volunteers (WION)</p>
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<p>With an aim of feeding 5000 people in one month, Akmal Shareef, Islamic Relief India&rsquo;s Head of Mission for India and Nepal says, &ldquo;The smiles on people&#39;s face when they get this Ramadan special food is the satisfaction that keeps us going. It is encouraging to see so many restaurants coming together with Islamic Relief India to feed the poor and homeless of Delhi during the month of giving of Ramadan.&rdquo;</p>

<p>While most hotel chains and restaurants often shy off from contributing their surplus food to the needy, more&nbsp;number of hospitality chains are adopting this in an organised manner. A prominent hotel chain Manager* says, &ldquo;The hospitality sector is evolving and is now progressively incorporating elimination of food wastage as part of its CSR practices. It not only improves brand awareness and loyalty of customers but also makes the company feel good about itself.&rdquo;</p>

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<p>It has been seen that brand support for cause-related social issues helps create novelty for reputable hotels and restaurants. Donating of food for big chains is a matter of doing good business which involuntarily becomes a means of tackling with food waste.</p>

<p><strong>The Other Side</strong></p>

<p>But this isn&rsquo;t enough.</p>

<p>A study conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata in 2016 revealed that only 10 per cent of food&nbsp;gets cold storage facility in India. This, when accompanied by inappropriate supply chain management, results in India wasting food both at pre and post-harvest. &nbsp;</p>

<p>India ranks 63 among 88 countries in Global Hunger Index with 20 crore Indians sleeping hungry on any given night, but in spite of this, nearly 21 million tonnes of wheat are wasted in India each year instead of reaching the needy.</p>

<p>India is not unique to food wastage but it needs to learn a lot from the world countries in tackling with hunger. In February 2016, the French national assembly voted to ban supermarkets from throwing unsold food that had not spoiled. Some restaurants in Germany ask people to pay extra if they do not finish the food on their plate. Scotland was able to reduce food wastage in restaurants by providing them with doggy bags so they could get leftover food packed and some even give an option of changing portion sizes. Wonder what we are waiting for?</p>

<p>* Name of person and hotel chain withheld upon request for anonymity</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


While Indians go hungry, nearly 21 million tonnes of wheat are wasted in India each year instead of reaching the needy

Chandra Shekhar Kundu from north Indian state West Bengal couldn’t sleep one night when he saw two kids scavenging for food in a trash can. They looked malnourished and seemed desperate to find anything to eat. Shekhar was out that night, throwing trash after celebrating his son’s birthday. He went back home looking for anything to give them but had no luck. He then tried to chance upon any eatery that might be open but came back disheartened. That night, Chandra Shekhar Kundu, a computer science teacher at an engineering college did not sleep at all as he “couldn’t get their image out of (his) head. It stuck”. According to a recent report published by the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year, approximately 1.3 billion tonnes, gets lost or wasted. This, when The Hunger Project reports, roughly one in nine people in the world do not have enough to eat. Less Food or Wastage The world statistics indicate that hunger as a global problem does not majorly arise due to a shortage of food if at all it does, but because of mismanagement and imbalances in storage facilities, lack of access and a problem with our collective conscience. “My conscience, it is what didn’t let me sleep that night”, says Chandra Shekhar Kundu. My conscience, it is what didn’t let me sleep that night. × After that fateful night, Shekhar went back to college and with the help of some of his students made a documentary on food wastage. The film helped raise awareness in college and thus led to a reduced food wastage in the college canteen. It was his first victory. Shekhar then started an organisation called Food Education and Economic Development (FEED) in 2016 to procure and provide food to the underprivileged and hungry kids in his area under Save Food, Save Life initiative. Shekhar along with a group of 135 students, teachers and social activists have tied up with hostels and mess facilities of Police and CISF barracks. He says, “We get our stock of food from these barracks, their hostel and canteens. We are able to feed 100 children daily with this food that would have otherwise been wasted. Also, if anyone has leftover food then they call us on the helpline number and we go collect it. This food, I mention, is always fresh and not stale ever.” Children in West Bengal happy after getting a free meal from FEED (WION) × One-third food produced every year is wasted. A kid here in the picture enjoying his food given by volunteers of FEED. (WION) × His initiative is now also recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations where he discusses ways to improve upon his work. He, however, feels that the government is not very proactive in its approach to reducing food wastage. He adds, “I wrote to the President of India about how this wastage should stop but there was no campaign, no reply till three months. But the State government was much more supportive.” A Mere Topic of Discussion? Discussed regularly at world forums now, food wastage as an issue has taken the shape of an intellectual and politicised discourse. Recognised institutes undertaking the job of studying the problems of food wastage report that the wastage happens at every level and in different ways globally. In developed countries of the Western world, consumers contribute to food wastage in high amounts while in lesser developed and developing countries like India, it happens at the retailer stage where prepared food is being sold. Shekhar adds, “When I started, I went around asking for leftover food of the day from various hotels and restaurants but I didn’t get a positive response. They just wouldn't agree to give; their major concern would be ‘what if someone falls sick after he or she eats, then who will take the responsibility?’ It was very tough to convince them that we would deliver the food within one hour’s time." Hotels wouldn't give leftover food--their major concern would be ‘what if someone falls sick after eating, then who will take the responsibility?’ × So, in practice, these major retail eatery joints are happy throwing away the leftover food but not give it to those who need. That is where we, as a society, have failed. While Chandra Shekhar Kundu continues to serve the underprivileged children in his vicinity with food and has recently opened a kindergarten school to educate those who can’t afford, there is Islamic Relief Foundation which started a campaign called #GiftAMeal to feed the poor and underprivileged on the occasion of Ramadan, irrespective of their caste, creed or religion. The campaign in India sourced its food from large restaurant chains like Nazeer Foods, Saleem’s, Al Bake, Karim’s and Hotel River View once a week for for a month. Thus, during the holy month of fasting, the organisation was able to feed poor people belonging to slum clusters, raiin baseras and homeless who sleep on the streets of Delhi and around the National Capital Region. Islamic Relief Foundation volunteers distribute food packets to a slum kid (WION) × People of a slum in Delhi get together to receive their free meal from Islamic Relief Foundation volunteers (WION) × With an aim of feeding 5000 people in one month, Akmal Shareef, Islamic Relief India’s Head of Mission for India and Nepal says, “The smiles on people's face when they get this Ramadan special food is the satisfaction that keeps us going. It is encouraging to see so many restaurants coming together with Islamic Relief India to feed the poor and homeless of Delhi during the month of giving of Ramadan.” While most hotel chains and restaurants often shy off from contributing their surplus food to the needy, more number of hospitality chains are adopting this in an organised manner. A prominent hotel chain Manager* says, “The hospitality sector is evolving and is now progressively incorporating elimination of food wastage as part of its CSR practices. It not only improves brand awareness and loyalty of customers but also makes the company feel good about itself.” Hotels now adopt elimination of food wastage as part of their CSR practices, as it improves their brand awareness and loyalty of customers. × It has been seen that brand support for cause-related social issues helps create novelty for reputable hotels and restaurants. Donating of food for big chains is a matter of doing good business which involuntarily becomes a means of tackling with food waste. The Other Side But this isn’t enough. A study conducted by Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata in 2016 revealed that only 10 per cent of food gets cold storage facility in India. This, when accompanied by inappropriate supply chain management, results in India wasting food both at pre and post-harvest. India ranks 63 among 88 countries in Global Hunger Index with 20 crore Indians sleeping hungry on any given night, but in spite of this, nearly 21 million tonnes of wheat are wasted in India each year instead of reaching the needy. India is not unique to food wastage but it needs to learn a lot from the world countries in tackling with hunger. In February 2016, the French national assembly voted to ban supermarkets from throwing unsold food that had not spoiled. Some restaurants in Germany ask people to pay extra if they do not finish the food on their plate. Scotland was able to reduce food wastage in restaurants by providing them with doggy bags so they could get leftover food packed and some even give an option of changing portion sizes. Wonder what we are waiting for? * Name of person and hotel chain withheld upon request for anonymity (WION)

Children's Day: No child should go to bed hungry

Instead of going to school, Walid and Ibrahim spend hours each day rummaging through houses destroyed in Gaza&#39;s wars in search of scrap to raise a few shekels for their families.<br />
<br />
They were once good students but Walid Maaruf, 11, and Ibrahim Ghaben, 12, had to quit school and earn a living when their fathers lost their jobs.<br />
<br />
Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fought three wars since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict in 2014 in the Mediterranean territory.<br />
<br />
Residents have lived under a punitive Israeli blockade imposed 10 years ago and their options are further limited by Egypt, which has largely kept its border with Gaza closed since 2013.<br />
<br />
Nearly half the enclave&#39;s 1.9 million inhabitants live under the poverty line, with 80 per cent surviving on humanitarian aid.<br />
<br />
Unemployment has risen dramatically to reach around 45 per cent -- one of the highest in the world -- forcing many children to become breadwinners.<br />
<br />
On Sunday, the International Labour Organization marks World Day Against Child Labour, an initiative that has seen the number of child labourers drop to 168 million from 246 million in 2000.<br />
<br />
But in Gaza the trend has been upward.<br />
<br />
According to Palestinian estimates, child labour has doubled over the past five years, with 9,700 children aged between 10 and 17 now working in the enclave.<br />
<br />
&quot;My father is unemployed, he used to gather stones and scrap metal... but now I work,&quot; said Ibrahim who earns about 20 shekels ($5) a day -- toiling six to 12 hours -- to feed his family of nine.<br />
<br />
The boy, who looks much older than his age, said he and his father used to transport their find on a donkey-drawn cart, &quot;but the donkey died&quot;.<br />
<br />
All day long, often under a searing sun or howling wind, boys like Walid and Ibrahim scour flashpoint Beit Lahiya -- near the border fence with Israel in northern Gaza -- for scrap to sell to recycling firms.<br />
<br />
The area is attractive because of potential finds of lead from Israeli munitions.<br />
<br />
&quot;Most of the children who work do so in neighbourhoods along the border fence, and these are the poorest areas,&quot; said psychologist Aida Kassab from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme.<br />
<br />
&quot;Sometimes these children are only five and yet they are forced to do a job which is not appropriate for their age, their physical or psychological state,&quot; said Kassab.<br />
<br />
Akram Saeed, 14, said he spent years gathering scrap but now he wants a way out and would like to &quot;learn a useful skill&quot; to improve the condition of his four siblings and parents.<br />
<br />
Help came in the form of a Swiss children&#39;s relief agency, Terre des Hommes, which helps families send their children back to school or to attend vocational courses.<br />
<br />
&quot;The phenomenon of children who work reflects the economic and social situation of the Gaza Strip,&quot; said Khitam Abu Hamad, who represents the NGO in Gaza.<br />
<br />
&quot;There is no job market in Gaza,&quot; she said.<br />
<br />
Palestinian law bans children under 15 from working but &quot;it is rarely applied&quot;, said Iyad Abu Hujayr of the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution.<br />
<br />
He said enforcement has been hampered by divisions between the Islamist movement Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organisation which rules Gaza, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.<br />
<br />
These divisions have also allowed abuse by some employers who often force children to work for 12 hours a day for as little as 20 shekels, he said.<br />
<br />
And the situation is far from improving, said Hyam al-Jarjawi, who is in charge of children&#39;s affairs at the Hamas-run ministry of social affairs.<br />
<br />
She said with each war &quot;there is more poverty, and the number of child labourers increases&quot;.

Child labour has doubled over the past five years, with 9,700 children aged between 10 and 17 working to feed their families

Instead of going to school, Walid and Ibrahim spend hours each day rummaging through houses destroyed in Gaza's wars in search of scrap to raise a few shekels for their families. They were once good students but Walid Maaruf, 11, and Ibrahim Ghaben, 12, had to quit school and earn a living when their fathers lost their jobs. Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fought three wars since 2008, including a devastating 50-day conflict in 2014 in the Mediterranean territory. Residents have lived under a punitive Israeli blockade imposed 10 years ago and their options are further limited by Egypt, which has largely kept its border with Gaza closed since 2013. Nearly half the enclave's 1.9 million inhabitants live under the poverty line, with 80 per cent surviving on humanitarian aid. Unemployment has risen dramatically to reach around 45 per cent -- one of the highest in the world -- forcing many children to become breadwinners. On Sunday, the International Labour Organization marks World Day Against Child Labour, an initiative that has seen the number of child labourers drop to 168 million from 246 million in 2000. But in Gaza the trend has been upward. According to Palestinian estimates, child labour has doubled over the past five years, with 9,700 children aged between 10 and 17 now working in the enclave. "My father is unemployed, he used to gather stones and scrap metal... but now I work," said Ibrahim who earns about 20 shekels ($5) a day -- toiling six to 12 hours -- to feed his family of nine. The boy, who looks much older than his age, said he and his father used to transport their find on a donkey-drawn cart, "but the donkey died". All day long, often under a searing sun or howling wind, boys like Walid and Ibrahim scour flashpoint Beit Lahiya -- near the border fence with Israel in northern Gaza -- for scrap to sell to recycling firms. The area is attractive because of potential finds of lead from Israeli munitions. "Most of the children who work do so in neighbourhoods along the border fence, and these are the poorest areas," said psychologist Aida Kassab from the Gaza Community Mental Health Programme. "Sometimes these children are only five and yet they are forced to do a job which is not appropriate for their age, their physical or psychological state," said Kassab. Akram Saeed, 14, said he spent years gathering scrap but now he wants a way out and would like to "learn a useful skill" to improve the condition of his four siblings and parents. Help came in the form of a Swiss children's relief agency, Terre des Hommes, which helps families send their children back to school or to attend vocational courses. "The phenomenon of children who work reflects the economic and social situation of the Gaza Strip," said Khitam Abu Hamad, who represents the NGO in Gaza. "There is no job market in Gaza," she said. Palestinian law bans children under 15 from working but "it is rarely applied", said Iyad Abu Hujayr of the Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution. He said enforcement has been hampered by divisions between the Islamist movement Hamas, a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist organisation which rules Gaza, and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority. These divisions have also allowed abuse by some employers who often force children to work for 12 hours a day for as little as 20 shekels, he said. And the situation is far from improving, said Hyam al-Jarjawi, who is in charge of children's affairs at the Hamas-run ministry of social affairs. She said with each war "there is more poverty, and the number of child labourers increases".

Wars and poverty force Gaza children to work

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