Several international campaigns are being run against child labour. The desirability of stopping child labour is not debatable but the causes of child labour in Pakistan are. No parents would like to see their children undergoing hard labour and not going to school, but there are a lot of poor families who ‘request’ well-off families to employ their children. It is heartrending to see children doing menial jobs while employers’ children go to schools, play carelessly and live in comfort. So, what is the remedy?
Our rulers’ claims of stopping child labour are bleak. They have to consider the factors of child labour. They have to allocate an amount in the budget which can be used for the financial help of families who are forced by poverty to send their children to various jobs to earn for their household. So, the remedy is to increase employment and funding poor families to send their children to school. However, it cannot be implemented until the palatial lifestyle of the ruling class ceases .
M Akram Niazi
Rawalpindi