Approximately 3.3 million children below the age of 14 are working as child labourers in Pakistan
KARACHI: Child labour is a severe form of social injustice, which our younger citizens have to suffer. In Pakistan, we can see children of all ages begging on the streets, sweeping roads, cleaning cars at traffic signals, etc. Have people passing by ever wonder why these children are not going to school?
Child labour is a complex problem, which demands a range of solutions. There is no better way to prevent it than to make education compulsory. These children are the future of Pakistan. So why does our government always neglect them? According to the national child labour survey, approximately 3.3 million children below the age of 14 are working as child labourers in Pakistan. This includes both boys and girls, with the former forming 73 per cent and the latter 27 per cent of the child labour force. The government needs to take steps to resolve this hear-shattering issue in order to improve the future of these children — the future of Pakistan.
Ashna Afzaal
Published in The Express Tribune, October 31st, 2014.
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