148,000 Moroccan Children Exercised Economic Activity in 2021

A Moroccan child works. EPA file photo
A Moroccan child works. EPA file photo
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148,000 Moroccan Children Exercised Economic Activity in 2021

A Moroccan child works. EPA file photo
A Moroccan child works. EPA file photo

Out of Morocco’s 7,493,000 population aged between seven and 17, 148,000 were engaged in some form of economic activity in 2021, the country's Higher Commission for Planning (HCP) has said.

In a report, HCP said that the number of Moroccan children who are victims of child labor is even higher in rural areas.

It noted that 119,000 children in rural areas are working in the informal economy, making up 3.8% of the country’s rural population.

According to HCP data, the rate is relatively low in urban areas, where 29,000 children are taking part in economic activities, making up 0.7% of the rural population.

The report notably notes that child labor in Morocco dropped 26% compared to 2019.

Issued on the occasion of the World Day against Child Labor, HCP’s report explains that 80.4% of children victims of child labor are rural males, and 87.5% of them are aged 15 to 17.

In terms of education, HCP data indicate that 12.1% of children engaged in economic activities in Morocco are attending school while 85.7% have dropped out of school and 2.2% have never been enrolled in schools.

Close to 65% children engaged in economic activities benefit from medical coverage, with the percentage getting slightly higher among the 7-17 age group reaching 75%.

According to the report, the phenomenon of child labor is concentrated in certain economic sectors and differs according to place of residence. In rural areas, 82.2% of children work in "agriculture, forestry and fishing".

In urban areas, "services", with 58.4%, and "industry", with 24.7%, are the main sectors employing children. Nearly three quarters of rural working children are family helpers; in urban areas, 45.2% of working children are employees, 27.5% are apprentices and 20.5% are family helpers.



Israeli Strikes Hit Dozens of Targets in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Israeli Strikes Hit Dozens of Targets in Gaza as Ceasefire Efforts Stall

A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)
A man looks through the rubble to inspect a destroyed building that was hit by Israeli bombardment in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on April 18, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli airstrikes hit around 40 targets across the Gaza Strip over the past day, the military said on Friday, hours after Hamas rejected an Israeli ceasefire offer that it said fell short of its demand to agree a full end to the war.

Last month, the Israeli military broke off a two-month truce that had largely halted fighting in Gaza and has since pushed in from the north and south, seizing almost a third of the enclave as it seeks to pressure Hamas into agreeing to release hostages and disarm.

The military said troops were operating in the Shabura and Tel Al-Sultan areas near the southern city of Rafah, as well as in northern Gaza, where it has taken control of large areas east of Gaza City.

Egyptian mediators have been trying to revive the January ceasefire deal, which broke down when Israel resumed airstrikes and sent ground troops back into Gaza, but there has been little sign that the two sides have moved closer on fundamental issues.

Late on Thursday, Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' Gaza chief, said the movement was willing to swap all remaining 59 hostages for Palestinians jailed in Israel in return for an end to the war and reconstruction of Gaza.

But he dismissed an Israeli offer, which includes a demand that Hamas lay down its arms, as imposing "impossible conditions".

Israel has not responded formally to Al-Hayya's comments but ministers have said repeatedly that Hamas must be disarmed completely and can play no role in the future governance of Gaza. The ceasefire offer it made through Egyptian mediators includes talks on a final settlement to the war but no firm agreement.

Defense Minister Israel Katz also said this week that troops would remain in the buffer zone around the border that now extends deep into Gaza and cuts the enclave in two, even after any settlement.