Sir: Children are the flowers of heaven. They are innocent both inwardly and outwardly. A child’s hands are meant to hold books and pencils. But throughout history, we have witnessed how some children have been forced to pick up tools and brooms and shoulder some of the burden of their families. Worst of all, children below the age of nine or 10, mostly orphaned, are forced to climb up chimneys and sweep them. Besides this, the last nationwide survey on child labour conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics with technical support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) found that 3.3 million out of 40 million children between the ages of five to 14 are economically active in Pakistan. The figure is composed of approximately 73 percent boys and 27 percent girls. According to the survey, the most cogent reason parents or guardians give for allowing their children to work included assisting in household enterprises, supplementing the household income, and no one else being available to do household chores. In addition, child labour is a complex problem that demands a range of solutions. There is no better way to prevent child labour than to make education compulsory. The state must take the ownership of all such children and enact strict laws to discourage all who indulge in this inhuman business. Children are free birds, so please make them free of this burden. RUKSANA A GHANI Turbat