According to a recent survey, approximately 45% of the children in the country have been exposed to child labour in one form or another. The main cause behind this is the ever-increasing rate of unemployment which has dragged many families below the poverty line. Thus, parents have no choice but to force their children into work in order to put food on the table.
In the modern world, while freedom remains one of the core fundamentals of human rights, systematic and bonded slavery still persists in the form of child labour. Owing to the desperate and deplorable conditions of poor families across the country, parents are unable to understand that children have certain rights too since their major concern remains survival, by hook or by crook. Therefore, wide-scale awareness must be raised so that parents understand the importance of educating their children.
Furthermore, laws prohibiting child labour should be strictly implemented across Pakistan in order to discourage parents from selling their children. For this, the educational system of the country must be reshaped and restructured according to national development goals so as to become more inclusive to children from all walks of life. Orphans and other deserving children must be helped financially on a prolonged basis.
Sharmeen Farasat
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, September 9th, 2020.
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