ALAYA: Police in Asir have persuaded a father, a construction contractor, to sign an undertaking not to force his 10-year-old to work on tough construction jobs, which contravenes the Kingdom's rules based on the UN's charter on child labor. Col. Abdullah Al-Qarni, spokesman for Asir Police, said police in Balqarn Governorate held the Arab boy a week ago. He is in the second grade of elementary school. The police in Balqarn reported that the boy was found working in tough conditions at the Old Market in Sabt Al-Alaya, an affiliate of the Balqarn Governorate. Al-Qarni said the police questioned the boy to find out why he was working in such tough conditions and also to speak to his parents. His father lives in Sabt Al-Alaya. The boy told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that, “I work with a group of Asian workers under the supervision of an Arab contractor. I don't like this work because it is very tough but my father used to force me to do so in order to secure some (goods) for our house and also to train me to depend on myself. I usually start working after school for pay of SR40 for four hours.”
