From factory work to the classroom: Mahasen’s journey out of child labour

“The factory owner made us carry 25-kg tins of honey that were very hot and very heavy… My hands were inflamed and hurt from the heat and the weight. When I complained, he told me: If you don’t like it, leave. But I had no choice, I had to keep going because of our family’s situation.”

With these words, 15-year-old Mahasen recalls her experience in one of the worst forms of child labour at a local confectionary factory. Despite her young age, Mahasen had to drop out of school and enter hazardous work to help her family make ends meet. “I was in the second year of preparatory school, but I left to help my father,” she said. According to ILO Convention No. 182, which Egypt has ratified, and Recommendation No. 190, handling scorching heavy materials that can harm the safety and health of those under 18, qualifies as hazardous work for children, placing it under the worst forms of child labour.

Hope came when she joined the ILO’s SCREAM Programme (Supporting Child Rights through Education, Arts and Media), implemented under its combatting child labour projects. “The [ILO’s implementing partners] came to our house and I heard about SCREAM. I joined the sessions and learned things I never knew, like how to be an actual child, and that I have rights,” said Mahasen.

With over 4000 graduates across Egypt as of mid-2025, the SCREAM programme uses creative tools to raise awareness among children, like Mahasen, and their families about the dangers of exploitation. It empowers children to recognise their given rights, to speak up and, to refuse unsafe work.

After attending the sessions, Mahasen decided to stop working despite the challenges. “I told Ms Nesma, our SCREAM facilitator, that I didn’t want to work anymore. She went with me and spoke to my father. At first, he didn’t agree, but after several conversations, he accepted. I quit work and went back to school.”

I quit work and went back to school.

Mahasen Ahmed Maabad, 15, ILO SCREAM beneficiary

The ILO’s efforts in Mahasen’s community and others go beyond awareness. Through the Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Small Industries and Streets by Supporting the Implementation of the National Action Plan in Egypt under the slogan ‘Empowerment Through Education and Learning’ (ETEL) project, funded by AICS (The the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation) the ILO also works to address the root causes of child labour and families’ reliance on children for sustenance.

Accordingly, the project provides training for parents -especially mothers - on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and income-generating activities using the ILO’s GET Ahead training programme. By helping families establish sustainable livelihoods, their reliance on their children’s earnings diminishes. These interventions support Egypt’s National Action Plan for Combating the Worst Forms of Child Labour and Supporting Families (2018-2025), as part of ETEL’s core mission.

Empowered with her rights, Mahasen has also gone on to inspire others: “I didn’t just change, I also talked to my friends at the factory about SCREAM. One of them believed me, left her job, and went back to school.”

Mahasen’s story shows the transformative impact of a two-fold approach: combining child empowerment with practical family support. By giving children the tools to reclaim their rights, and families financial awareness training, initiatives like the ILO’s SCREAM, GET Ahead training programmes and ETEL project are helping create a future free from child labour.