A video recorded and shared from the Milak zero border point in Hirmand County shows two Baloch girls under the age of ten engaged in Sukhtbari.
According to Kolbarews, on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, a video from the Milak zero border point in Hirmand once again highlighted the grim face of poverty and deprivation in Sistan and Balochistan.
In the footage, two young Baloch girls, both under ten years old, are seen carrying fuel. They transport gasoline across the border using small plastic bottles.
Instead of attending school, these children work in completely unsanitary conditions without any safety equipment. While free and accessible education is a fundamental right for all children, structural poverty and the lack of educational facilities in regions like Sistan and Balochistan deprive many children, especially girls, of schooling. Reports indicate that approximately 46% of girls in this province drop out of school due to the absence of educational infrastructure.
Sistan and Balochistan is one of the poorest provinces in Iran, with rural poverty rates estimated between 75% and 90% in some areas. Under such circumstances, many families turn to high-risk jobs like Sukhtbari to meet basic living needs a job that poses serious dangers not only to adults but also to children.
The phenomenon of child Sukhtbars in this region has previously led to tragic incidents. In some cases, security forces have fired at child Sukhtbars, resulting in fatalities. Additionally, transporting fuel with inadequate tools and along unsafe routes increases the risk of explosions and severe burn injuries for these children.
Sukhtbari considered one of the unconventional and dangerous occupations that many Baloch people in Balochistan are forced to engage in due to the lack of suitable and stable employment opportunities. Accidents, vehicle overturns, and direct shootings by military and security forces are some of the dangers that threaten the lives of Sukhtbars. According to reports by Baloch activists, in 2024, at least 240 Baloch Sukhtbars lost their lives due to shootings by military forces, traffic accidents, and vehicle fires, while 135 others were injured in these incidents, 19 of whom were children.
