All creatures big and small

There has recently been intense debate over social media on a photograph that has gone viral. It shows a family eating at a restaurant, while a pair of young maids stands to the side holding their child.
The picture has been generating discussion and at times angry exchanges over issues such as the invasion of private space, the treatment of domestic servants, the employment of children as labourers and questions as to whether it is justified to draw conclusions from a picture the background and context of which we do not really know. This of course is true. Beyond the image in the photograph, we know very little about either employers or employees.
It is correct that perhaps the girls had eaten before or chosen not to do so as has been suggested, even though this does not seem to be very likely in our reality where we see such happenings every day. The question that arises is whether it is acceptable to point them out in a widely public forum and by doing so ‘shame’ those blamed for the treatment of the domestic help.
All these are questions to which there are no easy answers. But the arguments that have come up are important. They have at least forced us to think a little more about the fate of children or teenagers forced to work in households other than their own because of the situation of their families. There are thousands of such children and for the most part they go unnoticed in a society that is immune to the plight of so many who live within it. Those who hire the children point out that in many cases by doing so they may be helping the families to whom they can bring in meagre sums of money. Others suggest that these employees at least have a roof over their heads and food to eat.
The problem of course is a far bigger one and is rooted in the manner in which the state treats its citizens and its basic failures to provide for their needs. This is what gives rise to the kind of exploitive child labour we see everywhere. There is no doubt that it exists, quite regardless of what may or may not be happening in that picture which has been looked at by tens of thousands in just a few weeks and commented on by many of them.
Perhaps generating discussion on the issue is helpful. Certainly, it has brought forward a wide range of perspectives and attitudes. Some are shocking. We hear these during other discussions too. For instance, there are those who apparently believe, quite genuinely, that maids – and presumably other domestic help – belong to a category ‘different’ to ourselves. This category, it is argued, is somehow inferior, less intelligent, less able and less moral.
Possibly it is this perception that leads to the horror stories we hear regularly – such as the recent one from Lahore involving a 12-year-old maid who had been beaten with hot utensils by her employers. Like others before her, she was held in a kind of debt bondage, working to pay off a small loan her mother had obtained. It appears the abuse meted out is made easier by holding on to the belief that these workers are different creatures, different beings, who deserve the treatment they deserve. In some cases it has led to death, and a majority of female domestic workers, according to the data available, have suffered some kind of abuse.
The problem perhaps is that we do not speak up; or that we do not speak up loudly enough. We have persuaded ourselves that some people are less important, less valuable, than others. We have also learnt to accept things as there are. To keep the status quo intact, we may mutter privately about child maids but we do not challenge those in our social circle who hire them. We do not express disapproval when we see these small girls in other homes or in public places. And the owners of businesses do little to help, failing to offer a chair, or perhaps a glass of water, for fear that their customers will object. In such an environment bringing the treatment of certain members of society to public notice is undoubtedly a service. Doing so is more important than the matters of privacy that have been so widely discussed.
It is significant that people have begun to speak out more and more. The child maid subjected to mistreatment in Lahore was rescued after a neighbour called the authorities. Doing so requires a degree of courage and moral fortitude. It is good to know that we seem to be discovering some of this. Even taking a picture requires a degree of desire to make a difference. It is after all easier to simply ignore a particular situation. It is only when people stop maintaining the cycle that has existed for too long that we can expect any kind of change to take place.
Raising awareness among citizens will be a quicker process than providing people with the education and awareness required to speak out for their own rights. They have been able to do so in other places. In Kenya for example, domestic workers have a strong union and work only when conditions – such as implementation of labour laws – are agreed on. Employers have been taken to court for failing to abide by these.
We are a long way away from a similar situation; a very long way. Essentially, our domestic workers have no protection. Women and children are especially vulnerable to abuse. Given these factors, bringing abuse to the forefront is a welcome trend – although it is also important to remember that a single picture can speak in many different ways.
Ideally, we should be hearing all sides of a story before passing judgement. But conditions are not always ideal. There are many problems linked to the use and misuse of cyber-space. But it has also opened up room for discussion and the presentation of ideas. Citizens have been able to develop forums, even to begin minor campaigns. Its use will inevitably grow.
Using this means to talk about issues rarely brought up before can then help change mindsets, and we certainly need a change.
Child labour or the treatment of domestic help is a matter that goes beyond the question of whether a maid has been fed, or treated with the basic respect due to all human beings. It illustrates the inequities and injustices in our society, which play a role in creating so many of the crises we face. To build a more stable, less violence-prone nation we need to make our society fairer.
The treatment of domestic help is just a tiny example of what goes on in our country, on its agricultural estates, in its factories and in so many other places. Implementing the law and initiating social reform is one way to address this. But there is no evidence of will on the part of the government. To fill this gap it is citizens who will then need to act. They have limited tools to work with, much to do, and given this reality every available means needs to be used to mobilise opinion and create the change we urgently need.
The writer is a freelance columnist and former newspaper editor.
Email: kamilahyat@hotmail.com