TEHRAN – Majid Majidi, the director of “The Sun”, a drama about child labor in Tehran, has warned officials of the higher risk of contracting coronavirus disease for child laborers in Iran.

In a statement published on Saturday, Majid described his meeting with Ahmad and Kazem, two children who gather paper, glass and other materials from the waste bins in Tehran for recycling to make a living.

“They were two brothers Ahmad, 10 and Kazem, 12. The elder brother was completely inside the trash can gathering pieces of trash and throwing them outside while his little brother was selecting pieces of paper and plastic, and putting them in a large sack,” he said.

“I asked the elder brother to come out of the trash can and told him he would get sick this way but he refused and continued working with this little brother. Consequently, I tried to change the atmosphere and become friends with them,” he added. 

“Now that there is a bad disease (coronavirus) it is very dangerous. The two began to laugh and the little boy said with a smile, ‘my brother says we ourselves are coronavirus’,” he wrote.

“The two then explained that they used to sell items in metro stations or at intersections or even washed windshields, but after the new virus outbreak, people don’t buy things and don’t even permit them to wash their cars’ windshields, so they are forced to look inside trash cans and take refuse materials for recycling,” Majidi said.

“They said that are not alone. Many children have lost their sales and are forced to search inside the trash cans,” he noted.

Majid asked the officials and the people to form campaigns to support these children and keep them safe until this new virus abates.

“The Sun” won the Crystal Simorgh for best film at the 38th Fajr Film Festival last month.

Photo: Majid Majidi attends a press conference for “The Sun” during the 38th Fajr Film Festival at Mellat Cineplex on February 10, 2020. (Mehr/Majid Asgaripur)   

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