Child labour beyond brick kilns
The larger debate on child labour has always been restricted to brick kilns. Photo: Reuters
By Malik Amman Aziz
This particular piece is for all those children, who can’t read it for themselves since they have been expunged from the basic liberty of getting educated. These children are the ones we see routinely but sadly, we never pay heed to any of these poor souls. We do write about them for sure, but who is there actually to read for them? We know that we can’t evade from our civic responsibilities but we do, right? One way or the other.
Twelve-year-old Sohrab, a resident of Lahore Wasanpura works for 12 hours straight. Photo: Author
Child labour is a universal menace and no doubt many organisations like the International Labor Organisation and the government are working against this pressing issue. But somehow, this issue is elevated to a certain point that it remains more or less unresolved. Take for instance the initiative by the Chief Minister of Punjab against child labor in brick kilns. In this initiative, he made sure that 87,000 children who were exposed to the threat of child labor were sent to proper schools, and were provided a monthly stipend of Rs. 1000 to the children while their families were paid a one-time stipend of Rs. 2000 at the time of registration. A big step indeed! This step was restricted only to brick kilns. Even so, the CM mentioned that all the resources will be used to eliminate child labor in other fields too.
A 13-year-old child working in unhygienic conditions. Photo: Author
In Pakistan figures relating to child labour have gone up. However, the larger discussion about child labor is fixated on brick kilns. In Pakistan, according to a survey conducted there are 40 million children who fall in the 5 to 14 age bracket. According to data by the Federal Bureau of Statistics funded by ILO’s IPEC program, the results of a survey indicate that out of these 40 million children about 3.8 million are a victim of child labor. About 50% of these economically active children are in the 5 to 9 age bracket. Two million and four hundred thousand boys which is 73% of the total number are a part of child labor in Pakistan. While 2.7 million were claimed to be working in the agricultural sector.
Fourteen-year-old Afghan refugee Torsam Khan says, “I have been collecting trash since I was 8.” Photo: Author
There are numerous reasons of child labor in the country which include 30% poverty rate, inflation, uneven distribution of wealth, increasing population rate, lack of educational and professional opportunities and a multitude of socio economic problems faced by the country. This piece paints a picture of the city of Lahore, the heart of Punjab, the home of the Sharifs. What lies in other corners of the province, or the country at large, is left to the imagination.
Supporting his family with 50 rupees for 14 hours of work at the tender age of 12. Photo: Author
