(HRW) – It’s lunchtime in a small town near Tripoli, in northern Lebanon. Inside a cramped, dilapidated apartment Amira is making lunch for her husband and six kids. The meal is modest and won’t be enough to fill eight hungry stomachs. There are some tomatoes, a bit of stale bread, and a single egg mixed with some vegetables. The apartment door swings open and Ali walks in. He looks exhausted, and with good reason. He’s halfway through his 12-hour shift at a local repair workshop, fixing up damaged cars. It’s a tough and physically demanding job with long hours and low pay – just US$16 a week. But Ali’s family needs every penny. They are refugees from Syria, and are struggling to make ends meet. He may only be 12 years old, but Ali is the family breadwinner.
