May Day

Every year, the Labour Day is celebrated on May 1. In Pakistan, the federal government announces public holiday on this day. This gives time to people, especially labour unions, to come out on streets and hold rallies to celebrate the day. However, the majority of the people ignore to pay heed to the plight of the working class. Unemployment and poverty have paralysed the lives of almost 40 percent of citizens across the country. This is why many households send their children to work. Our country prohibits all forms of slavery, forced labour and child labour. However, because of the socioeconomic factors, the trend of employing a child as domestic help remains rampant across the country.

These things are not limited only to Pakistan. Other countries are facing the same problems, but they are working on to alleviate the suffering of the poor. China has lifted 800 million people out of poverty since 1978, and aiming to make itself a poverty-free country by 2020. If China has the ability to eliminate poverty, Pakistan can also do so. Labourers are the building blocks of the country. The government should focus on the labour community and do everything it can to lessen their sufferings.

Hakimullah Wazir

Islamabad