Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Event time: 02:00 to 4:00 pm

Venue: Women’s Empowerment and Social Association (WESA)

In the series of TVET and employment roundtables in Herat province, the Thirteenth TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) and Employment roundtable was held to express views on “Covid 19 impacts on child labor and forced labor during and afterward” by the Department of Labor and Social Affairs of Herat province in collaboration with Help and OSAA (Organization for Sustainable Aid in Afghanistan) in Herat province.

In this roundtable, representatives of some government departments including the Department of Labor and Social Affairs (DolSA), the Department of Economy (DoE), Afghan Women Chamber of Commerce Industries (AWCCI), and the Chamber of Craftsmen, as well as representatives from various organizations including Help, OSAA, War child, RSDO, DACAAR, UNICEF, WISE, IRW, and the Women’s Empowerment and Social Association (WESA) were present.

In the beginning, Mr. Abdul Sattar Zarifi, Labor Directorate of DoLSA in Herat, welcomed the participants and spoke about the importance and the purpose of such kind of round tables.

Subsequently, Ms. Parwin Hossainy, director of OSAA, while presenting the activities of this organization in the field of employment services, presented a summary of the International Labor Organization’s research report on working children.

Then, Mr. Sebghatullah Habibi, National Senior Technical coordinator of Child Protection Consortium in Herat, made some remarks about the situation of forced labor and working Children in Herat province and what challenges there have been from the consortium’s point of view and what achievements have been achieved so far.

According to Mr. Habibi, there are currently about 20 national and international organizations that are members of the consortium.

He stressed the need for cooperation and coordination between national and international organizations to achieve the expected goals.

The thirteenth roundtable continued with the presentation of the views and opinions of the participants from government departments, the private sector, and I/NGOs.

Finally, this roundtable was summarized and concluded by Mr. Zarifi, while appreciating the views and opinions of the participants and the cooperation of the Help and OSAA in holding these roundtables.

Abdul Sattar Zarifi: “The main consequences of the Corona Virus outbreak have been psychological problems and unemployment. We must work on the proposed plans in the future and hold more coherent meetings in this regard. So that we can make positive changes in children’s lives by implementing the plans put forward by the participants.”

In the end, the prominent presence of organizations and institutions involved in labor and employment issues was also emphasized.

Source: Help IT & Public Relations Department