Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part D (2025)

This study researches the relationship between school dropout and child labor in Iraq, with a focus on the economic reasons toward increased school dropouts, concentrated in the rural areas of the country and the marginalized urban settlements. Iraq has very high rates of child labor, as described in recent reports indicating that over 1,1 million children are involved in some form of labor, and this has great disbenefits from schooling. In addition, this study documents evidence on how the conditions of economic necessity for children to work with income-generating activities propels them into early dropping out of school. In addition, the research was undertaken in Maysan Governorate-mostly from within the following districts that make up the said area. Therefore, inspired by the study's mixed-methods framework, quantitative data collection was once obtained from surveying schools throughout Maysan and its rural areas, assessing dropout rates as well as levels of child labor among secondary school students. In addition to that, the qualitative phase of this study was also conducted using in-depth interviews with 50 parents, 20 teachers, and 15 local policy makers on socio-economic barriers to education. The study has shown that children are 30-40% more likely to drop out of school and work in agriculture, construction, and informal sectors than urban areas earning below the national poverty line-the same households in most rural settings, particularly by virtue of income generation relying heavily on child labour.

The research further identifies major socio-economic factors such as lack of access to quality education, dependency on child labour as an income earners' agency, and limited government support to low-income families. For example, rural areas have 35% students' dropouts to help in their family farms; while on the other hand, urban areas show high numbers of school drop out due to children making ends meet through informal trades because of this absence of vocational education programs. This study further examines how government policies play part in relation to these such as the recent initiatives of Ministry of Education against child labor, these include the National Child Labour Survey which has still proved ineffective against the economic pull drivers of child labour in vulnerable communities. Interviews with policymakers suggest that while some legislative reforms have been proposed, such as increasing the age of school attendance and instituting financial aid for low-income families, measures remain underfunded and poorly enforced.