Pakistan’s labour laws state that anyone below the age of 18 years is not allowed to work. However, these laws are not always followed, and often, even when the illegal employment is caught, strict action is not taken. The employment of these children is harmful to society because it does not allow them to acquire basic education, or skills to escape this horrible reality and eventually work someplace else. They are made to work inhumane working hours and are sometimes not even paid. These children can also suffer from long-term mental health issues due to lack of social interaction and family support. But probably worse than this abuse is the feeling that our society doesn’t care. The least we can do is to recognise this fact as a society. Let’s all play a part and call a spade a spade – and tell our friends, shopkeepers, family members to stop employing child labour. Pakistani society needs to work together to end child labour completely.
Syed Mudabir Mehdi
Karachi