Woes of brick kilns

Letter January 29, 2016
Child labour should be eliminated but corruption and harassment in the guise of curbing it, is counter-productive

KASUR: Haphazard overnight change is not good for the country in the long term. This is the case with how brick kilns are being treated these days. The government needs to protect children from child labour but should not completely shut down brick kilns. Recently, policemen came to the brick kiln I own and demanded money in exchange for letting me continue operations. They threatened to file an FIR against me despite not finding any evidence of child labour on the premises. After causing plenty of hassle, they finally left.

Child labour should be eliminated but such corruption and harassment in the guise of curbing this menace is counter-productive. Our system needs a complete revamp for efficient observance of responsibilities.

Babar Mayo

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th,  2016.

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