A citizen, who chose to remain anonymous, said one day he was coming home just before Asr prayer when he saw two kids aged around eight or nine racing toward a garbage bin.
“I was surprised when I saw them jumping in. I went there to see what was happening and I found them searching intensely through the garbage,” he said.
“I asked them what they were doing and they told me that they were collecting metal and plastic cans and putting them in plastic bags. I found out later on that some foreigners in a truck would arrive and take the bags from them.
“This is the work of organized gangs who are exploiting children and giving our society a bad image,” he said.
Fellow citizen Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Otaibi said it has become commonplace in crowded districts to see children searching for cans in garbage bins.
“There are two possible explanations for this trend. Either the parents of these children ask them to do so for money, or they fall prey to the promise of financial rewards by foreign laborers who roam residential districts looking for metal,” he said, adding it was probably the latter.
Al-Otaibi said young scavengers were very noticeable on Fridays when municipal employees are on vacation and garbage bins are full.
“This is a disturbing trend that concerned government organizations should take very seriously,” he said.
Director of Social Affairs in Makkah Ali Al-Hanaki said the responsibility of ending these illicit activities lies with the security forces.
“There should be security patrols in residential districts to stop such practices,” he added.
Al-Hanaki said Saudi labor laws prevent the employment and exploitation of children. “Children tampering with garbage are susceptible to all kinds of diseases. We have to protect them from these foreign gangs before it is too late,” he said.
