The child labour problem is at once huge and invisible. It is the proverbial elephant in the room no one can see. It is amazing to see how so many people turn a blind eye to its very existence.
Child labour is work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity. It is harmful to their physical and psychological health. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, amended in 2019, a child is any person below the age of 14. The law prohibits employment of a child for all kinds of work, including domestic help. It also makes employing children a cognizable criminal offence.
There is a clear distinction between child labour and jobs children may undertake such as assisting their parents in household chores or setting up small businesses. Such activities are regarded as healthy in that they contribute to the development of children and the welfare of their families; provide them with skills and experience; and help prepare them to be productive members of a society during their adult life.
Not all children have the good fortune of a protected life. A large number of children in our part of the world are strangers to the joys and carefree innocence most people associate with early years of life. Many are forced to work under inhumane conditions. Child labour harms not only the victim’s physical health but also his emotional health. Child workers are deprived of their basic rights to education and freedom. Many children are required to perform gruelling and physically demanding tasks. In return, they receive meagre wages. In Pakistan, it is estimated that 72 per cent of all children are forced to work. 39 per cent of all Pakistanis live below the poverty line. For a large number of families there are no adequate jobs available to the adults. They are thus forced to send their children to work.
Action at individual level can make a huge difference. We can all create awareness in our families. We can ask our relatives not to hire persons under 15. We can request them to support children in their studies and help out their families
Child labour is an increasingly serious problem for Pakistan. Since both parents in most urban families work for a living, they do not have the time needed for domestic chores. This leads to hiring all types of labour for household work. Children are often preferred as domestic helpers because they are easier to manipulate than adult workers. They do not ask for raises and hardly ever argue for holidays. They are often more submissive and can be easily suppressed. This has resulted in the underage domestic help ‘norm’.
The situation can only change if we seize the initiative and act, starting with our own homes. We need to promise ourselves that we will not hire people below the age of 15 years in our households. Decisive action at individual level can make a huge difference. We can create awareness in our families. We can ask our relatives not to hire children. We can request them to support children at school and help out their families.
Children make up a majority among Pakistanis. We don’t want child labour. We want education for these children. They are the future of our country. When we employ them as child labourers we shut them out of white collar jobs. The illiterate child grows up to be an illiterate adult who is unaware of the transformative power of education and will likely push her children into the same hazardous life. Thus the vicious circle of poverty and illiteracy continues. Child labour is a not a mere by-product of poverty. It also generates poverty and perpetuates it. To be more successful and prosperous as a nation we need to defeat poverty by putting an end to child labour.
Our governments should take immediate steps to make effective child labour policies and implement them. Monitoring teams should regularly visit work places to ensure strict enforcement of relevant laws.
The writers are students at (LGS Phase V, Grade V