Egypt.. Parliamentary action to “tighten” the fight against child labor after the “Middle Road” incident

Cairo, Egypt - The Manpower Committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives is preparing to discuss the issue of child labor, in light of demands to review workplace control procedures, verify the extent of implementation of laws regulating child labor, and hold violating parties accountable, amid questions about the adequacy of the numbers of labor inspectors and their ability to confront the phenomenon. These movements come after a collision occurred on the central road in 6th of October City, between a microbus that was carrying workers from a village in Fayoum Governorate, located southwest of Cairo, on their way to a farm, and a heavy transport truck, resulting in the death of 10 people and the injury of 24 others, including children.

Briefing Request: Undersecretary of the Manpower Committee in the House of Representatives, Ihab Mansour, said that he intends to submit a briefing request regarding child labor incidents within two days, to review the measures taken by the government to deal with recent incidents, and to reveal mechanisms for monitoring workplaces and preventing the recurrence of these incidents. Mansour added, in exclusive statements to Ofek News in Arabic, that the briefing request will examine the deficiencies in oversight of workplaces, the extent of employers’ compliance with legal requirements, in addition to reviewing the penalties imposed on violators.

Egyptian Labor Law No. 14 of 2025, in addition to the Children’s Law and related decisions, regulates child labor and vocational training, as it is prohibited to employ a child before the age of 15 or the completion of basic education, while allowing vocational training from the age of 14, provided that it does not hinder the continuation of education. The rules regulating work specify a maximum of 6 hours per day for children to work, interspersed with rest periods of no less than an hour, prohibiting them from working for more than 4 consecutive hours, assigning them additional hours, or working during holidays and weekly rest, in addition to prohibiting working at night between 7 pm and 7 am.

Mansour said that the law allows the age group from 15 to 18 years to work according to requirements related to working hours and timing, concluding contracts and notifying them, in addition to following up with the labor office, while what is permitted for the age group from 14 to 15 years is limited to training and not work. The representative asked about the entities responsible for following up on the implementation of these requirements, the adequacy of oversight of workplaces, and the number of labor inspectors available to monitor establishments, stressing the necessity of reviewing the application of the law and its executive decisions. “Repetition requires identifying shortcomings.” Mansour said that repeating incidents requires identifying shortcomings in oversight and holding those responsible accountable, stressing the need to act before accidents occur, instead of waiting for them to occur and then dealing with their repercussions.

He added that the government is required to disclose the amount of compensation it disburses annually for deaths and injuries, noting that directing these allocations to support oversight and increase the number of labor inspectors may contribute to preventing accidents and protecting children. The representative of the Manpower Committee in the House of Representatives confirmed that increasing the number of labor inspectors and providing the necessary funding to intensify inspection campaigns are among the basic demands, especially since the current numbers of inspectors are insufficient to confront the problem.

Mansour explained that the Egyptian Labor Law includes penalties for violating employment agencies, which may lead to the closure of the agency and cancellation of its license, in addition to graduated fines of up to 100,000 pounds per case. The representative asked about the extent to which these penalties are applied to the parties responsible for recent accidents, indicating that the briefing request will examine whether the accidents occurred through licensed operating agencies or entities operating in violation of the law, and the extent to which legal measures are taken against them.

The discussion will also address the extent to which licensed employment agencies comply with legal requirements, and whether they are subject to the necessary oversight, to ensure that children are not exploited or employed in conditions that endanger their lives. Regarding the number of working children under the age of 15, Mansour said that the government did not announce clear information about the extent of the phenomenon, suggesting that child labor is concentrated in the agricultural and quarrying sectors, which requires intensifying oversight of workplaces in these sectors.

He stressed that the Labor Law stipulates that work should not affect children’s education, noting his participation in discussing the law during previous parliamentary sessions, and his demand to include guarantees that would preserve children’s continuation of education. Mansour stressed the need to review government procedures related to the protection of working children, define responsibilities among the concerned authorities, and provide the necessary capabilities to inspection agencies, in order to ensure the application of the law and reduce the risks to which children are exposed in the workplace.