By: Katy Mulderink

Poverty  Poverty is a huge issue in the Middle East, despite what one may think because of the oil industry.  Immigrant families have a hard time adjusting in the Middle East.  Poor basic human rights lead to poverty.

Malnutrition  Poverty and insecurity are the main causes for malnutrition in the Middle East.  About one in ten children under the age of five are severely underweight.  About one in five have stunted growth.

Child Labor  Children in cities, mainly boys, go to work in workshops, construction, manufacturing, and street work.  Children living in the country usually help their families with their farms.  Children have also been used as soldiers and smugglers.  A rise in child labor has led to an increase in unemployment, leading to unstable living conditions.

Trafficking  Many children have been sold as sex slaves or forced laborers.  There have also been problems with trafficking in cases of child soldiers, forcing children to smuggle items, or camel jockeying.

Camel Jockeying  A type of trafficking specifically in the Middle East is camel jockeying. Camel races are popular and children make the perfect jockeys.  Camel racing is violent and dangerous and young boys are forced to jockey these races.

Lack of Education  Lack of education leads to a rise in child labor.  Many children never learn to read or write.  This limits the jobs that they’ll be able to get.

These Problems Linked Together  These problems all lead to each other. Poverty is the main cause of malnutrition. Poverty also leads to child labor or trafficking. Child labor donates to the lack of education. Because of the lack of education, people are forced back into the same cycle.

UN Involvement  The UN is trying to reinforce a ban against using young boys as jockeys in camel races.  Besides that, the UN is not very involved in those problems in the Middle East. With all of the wars that have been and continue to take place, those issues have not been seen with much importance.

Looking Forward  Unless someone steps in to help the Middle East, I don’t see much hope for change. They’re so unstable that they seem to have, “More important things,” to focus on. The UN, the U.S., or someone else with much influence and power is going to have to step in or things may never look up in the Middle East.