This conversation happened at Hardee’s. Swaifieh/7th Circle branch:
Me: Hey, What are you doing here? you work here.
Child: Yes.
Me (going nuts): WHAT! How old are you habibi?
Child: I’m 13.5 but they told me that I’m supposed to say 17.5
Me: And why are you working here?
Child: Because I need money.
Me: Can I take a picture of you?
Child: Yes, but I have to go before my boss screams at me.
… and he went and started cleaning tables, collecting trays and I couldn’t eat. Yes! I was looking at him all the time.
The employment of children at regular and sustained labour is not allowed/prohibited in this country. Someone is responsible, it is either Americana (Hardee’s, KFC all over middle east) or the restaurant manager. This practice is considered exploitative. Child labour was utilized to varying extents through most of history, but entered public dispute with the beginning of universal schooling, with changes in working conditions during industrialization, and with the emergence of the concepts of workers’ and children’s rights.
Should I get this in the papers? I don’t know what to do.
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Comments ( 17 )
[...] I was surprised to know that it is not only in Egypt but it is in other Arab countries as well !! This time it is an American fast food chain “Hardees” in Amman,Jordan !! It is also [...]
Egyptian chronicles: Is it a new Americana Policy in the region !!?? added these pithy words on Dec 10 08 at 12:39 pm
Stephen added these pithy words on 
I think you should blur his face or something, you shouldn’t take pictures of minors.
Khaled added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
6:49 am
I assume it is the local management, (sorry if that is a prejudiced thing to say) if any American franchise folk knew they’d end it in a second. Maybe not so much to help the kid, hat to be cynical, but to keep US media from finding out.
Maybe they could offer his DAD a job?
Breaks my heart a 13 year old is burdened with ‘needs the money’.
Yea, blur the picture, take the story to Rana Husseini.
kinzi added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
8:50 am
These cases are so difficult. I remember the scandal of the footballs produced by children in India. Everyone was so outraged that it was stopped and the families of these children all suffered as they were the breadwinners of the family. At least this child is not begging on the streets. I blame the restaurant as it is perfectly clear this is a child.
And I agree with Stephen and Khaled, you should blur the face of the child. T
JoLadies added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
9:17 am
Someone should follow this up! Good work Moey!
The Observer added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
11:50 am
ya 7araam, i guess he is working full time then. I think a part time weekend job of a few hours is fine at that age, ut full time? wllah miskeen.
loolt added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
12:29 pm
Rana Husseini is the crime reporter at the Jordan Times. She is the one who has brought the cases of so many murders done in the name of ‘honour’. There are many ways to deal with this case. T
Joladies added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
4:17 pm
Try to find another way to help his family earn a living another way. It won’t help much if you just get him to stop working.
jessyz added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
5:26 pm
I’ll email it to you
Yay Moey, avenger of overworked underage children
kinzi added these pithy words on
Dec 02 08 at
9:28 pm
This is exaggerated, its a greed for fast food restaurants that school students works there all the time, even during the school semester, if you want to question something question the rulez, because its not against the law, getting that to the papaers will be meaningless, and its not about jordan!!
all the restaurants in my univ. is full of school students down to age 14!!
so talk about the regulations for that, again NOT jordan
Saifu added these pithy words on
Dec 03 08 at
1:21 am
I think if this guy looses his job he will just find another one, we should heal the bigger picture.
Nizar added these pithy words on
Dec 04 08 at
11:00 am
Hey Moey , I do not think that this was a local management policy because I had seen it before in my country Egypt in one of Americana’s restaurants “Tekka”
http://egyptianchronicles.blogspot.com/2008/07/child-labour-in-fancy-restaurant.html
Zeinobia added these pithy words on
Dec 09 08 at
2:10 am
say you mailed it to somebody, and assuming he actually has enough care, enthusiasm & Power to do something about it…
Will it be helping the kid (or kids in similar position) in any way? I don’t really think so…. you will only be kicking him back to the street looking for the next (maybe more abusive) job!
Child Labor can be a terrible thing, yet cleaning tables & collecting trays @ Hardees isn’t the worst thing a kid his age can do (or can be forced to do!) for money… He is safer cleaning tables than trafficking Marijuana or getting raped in the back of garage.
If the Kid’s parents have it in them to cut from his schooling time & put him on the street, then most certainly they will do it again… and ‘practically’ you CAN NOT prevent that.
While I’m fairly certain that the local branch are using the kid as cheap labor, yet -Ironically- they are doing him a big favor.
!!?` added these pithy words on
Dec 09 08 at
2:58 am
