Yasir Khalil
Child labour is the deprivation of childhood. Children are forced by their parents to do paid work at a tiny to feed their families. Child labour is a common practice in Pakistan. In the modern era, children should carry bags and regularly attend school, but unluckily, instead of bags, they are carrying tools. If in a country children are uneducated then it is very hard for the country to progress. According to a report, 19 million children below the age of 14 are working as child labourers in Pakistan. They are deprived of their fundamental rights to live in the world as their childhood is destroyed.Moreover, the major cause of child labour is unemployment and poverty that is highlighted the most. Due to this children are compelled by their families to work at a tiny age. Besides this, the main cause of child labour in Balochistan is illiteracy and educational backwardness. The majority of parents in Balochistan are uneducated and they do not know the value of education. For them, money is more important than education. And that is the reason they send their underage children for working as child labour is the sort of earning. Some of the parents cannot afford the requirements of schools such as uniforms, books, bags, shoes and many more. Consequently, child labour affects the children a lot as they are deprived of adequate food and other needs. That is why most of the child labourers are the victim of malnutrition and other harmful diseases. The most cited effect of child labour is regarding the health as these children suffer from social and physical abuse. It is crystal clear that these children have dreams to have bright futures, but their dreams are shattered by child labour. However, this age is the time of leisure, education, enjoyment, and fun for the children, but sadly, 12.5 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour.Apart from that, it is said mostly that children are the backbone or future of the nation but in Pakistan, children are engaged in child labour and other catastrophic crises. For instance, child labour also causes death as Zohra Shah was killed because she mistakenly releases some expensive parrots from the cage. Even though various laws were implemented to eradicate child labour but still it is on the rise. Due to child labour, many children are suffering from physical and social harm while the government do not bother to solve this issue. This issue cannot be solved unless strict laws are implemented.All in all, child labour is considered a curse in Pakistan because it has destroyed many lives and the childhood of many children. It is an emerging issue that can stop a country from developing like Pakistan as She is already suffering from other catastrophic issues. The government must increase the job opportunities for adults in order to reduce child labour. Also, the government should provide free education to the children. It is rightly said that child labour can cause a reduction in literacy rate so educating freely the children can help to increase the literacy rate. Thus, I humbly request the government to eradicate child labour as soon as possible to help the children live a peaceful and bright future.
