5,000 children scavenge for trash in Iran's capital
According to research conducted in Tehran, there are 54,000 garbage collection tanks in the capital, and according to estimates, 14,000 people are engaged in garbage collection throughout the city, 5,000 of whom are children.
The minimum age to start scavenging is 10 years. Children of younger ages are also seen, usually learning to scavenge with their fathers, and elderly people are also among the scavengers. Most have primary education and are usually rejected by their families, addicted or divorced, or immigrants. Municipal contractors use scavengers, and no law criminalizes scavenging, and stealing from scavengers is a danger that threatens them.
According to the deputy head of cultural and social affairs at Tehran Municipality: "The hardest and most harmful work for children is garbage collection, because they handle all kinds of waste, including hospital waste, and the only way is to convince contractors not to use children."
Source: Voice of America
