In our country, almost every day, an abandoned baby is found on streets. Many NGOs take these children to their shelters. These anonymous children live their lives in shelter homes. Some NGOs do allow the adoption of these children and most of the times, young children are adopted. However this doesn’t mean that adopted children will end up living a beautiful life. It is unfortunate that many people adopt children from NGOs and treat these children as their servants. They would ask them to perform difficult physical tasks. A few people adopt these children to use them for human trafficking. While the children suffer in silence, these people make money and live a luxurious life. These children are also used for selling drugs, for begging and for prostitution purposes.
It is the responsibility of the authorities to do something for these children. More foster homes should be established and trained staff should be appointed so that children are brought up in a safe environment. Everyone working in such institutions should be held accountable for their action. Strict rules must be applied for the adoption process. No one should be given a child so that he or she can use the child for his or her benefits. It is the duty of the government to establish institutions and foster homes for orphaned and abandoned children. These children are the future of the country and it is our duty to create a peaceful environment for them.
Kalim Shahab (Swat)