Too young to work at the fruit market

RIYADH: As soon as a driver pulls his car over at the Al-Atiqa fruit market in the south of Riyadh, he is greeted by children as young as nine, pushing carts and carrying fruit boxes for customers.

The children try convincing approaching shoppers to use their services and follow customers carrying whatever they buy to their cars.

These children work long hours, sometimes dragging goods that are three times their weight. Some people wonder why these children work in the market when they should be playing. Arab News approached them to find out what drives them to carry out such work at such young ages.

A young child dressed in a dirty thobe was resting on his cart. When approached, he stood up and offered his services. “I have been working in the fruit market for three months now. I am working because of my family’s poor financial situation,” said the boy, named Fahd.

“My father works in the Farasan Islands in the Jazan area of the south. He left us here with my mother and young brother. I am working to support my family,” said Fahd, who is 11.

Fahd earns between SR5 to SR50 a day, a sum that barely satisfies his family’s basic needs. “I am unlucky and tired. Most customers refuse to allow me to carry their fruit because of my age. Some of them give me money in charity, which I do not like. Other people working here who are older than me are lucky. They get more customers. Until now today I’ve only made SR3,” he said.

At another location is another sad story. Resting on his cart after a long day is 17-year-old Ali. Speaking about the conditions that force him to work at the market, he said, “My father died in a car accident and then my mother died soon after. I live with my three brothers and three sisters in a very modest house near the fruit market.”

“My biggest problem is that I have never been to school, but I know how to read and write. I couldn’t get an education because I do not have an identity card. My father died before he could get me one. I only have his death certificate, but I am planning to get an ID soon,” he said.