Child Labor: چائلڈ لیبر کی بنیادی وجہ
As child labor is a social construct (سماجی تعمیر ) and not a natural phenomenon; there is no single, correct and indisputable (ناقابل تردید ) definition. Child labor is characterized as the misuse of a children by taking any kind of work that deprives (محروم کرتا ہے ) children of their childhood and other basic rights such as their education, health and it is also physically, mentally and morally harmful.
Child Labor in Pakistan:
Child Labor is the significant (اہم)issue of Pakistan, in Pakistan many young boys and children are working in restaurant, workshops and public transport etc. on daily, weekly and monthly wages. These children involve ( شامل ) in such activities without entering in education activities. According to the United Nations, children who is employed under the age of 18 would be considered ( سمجھا جاتا ہے ) under the definition of child labor. Child labor is very common in mostly developing countries. Children can be commonly seen working in restaurants, workshops, mills and service stations etc ( اسٹیشن وغیرہ ). and on the other hand girls are involved in domestic world. Child labour is more prevalent among boys (لڑکوں میں عام ہے ) than girls at every age. When household chores performed for at least 21 hours per week are taken into account, the gender gap in child labour narrows (تنگ).
On international day against child labour which was held on June 13th, 2021, Pakistan peoples party MPA Sharmila Farooqi stated that over 3.3 million of children are forced to work as a child due to different circumstances ( حالات ). According to Pakistan’s first and only survey ( سروے ) which was held in 1996, 3.3 million children are trapped ( پھنسے ہوئے ) in the child labour and according to census 2011, 152 million children are in child labor globally in which 64 million are girls and 88 million are boys. According to the 2021 report from UNICEF and International Labour Organization (ILO), the number of children involve in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide. Due to this social issue, these children are far from the education and other basic rights. Furthermore ( مزید برآں ), children involve in child labour are often subjected to violence ( تشدد کا نشانہ بنایا ), abuse and other human rights violation such as some one may be forced to break the law. And for girls, threats of sexual harassment ( ہراساں کرنا ) can be increases and boys may be exploited by armed forces (According to UNICEF, 2020). And many child workers are often abused where they work, suffering beatings or torture. Many children are sent to live with middle class and elite class families to perform as domestic servants. Jobs like these become particularly dangerous ( خاص طور پر خطرناک ) for children, as they are at the risk of physical and sexual abuse without real supervision.
According to the publicly available data discussed ( بحث کی )in more detail below, Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where child labour is most prevalent. While absolute numbers are still high, particularly ( خاص طور پر ) in those countries with the lowest standards of living, from a historical viewpoint there are concrete examples of countries that managed to virtually eliminate widespread ( وسیع پیمانے پر ) child labour in the course of a century. The United Kingdom is a case in point. In terms of recent developments, global trends show a significant ( اہم ) reduction in child labour over the last couple of decades.
Child labour is inversely related to the poverty and the development of country, most of the time children are forced to earn for family due to poverty. The International Labour Organization has four pillars to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, based on international standards, while also keeping in mind the issue of child labour:
●1. Stimulate the economy and employment
●2. Support enterprises, jobs and incomes
●3. Protect workers in their workplace
●4. Rely on a social dialogue for solutions
Impact of Covid-19:
In last two decades, 94 million less children were found in child labor
(Worldwide Estimates of Child Labor, 2017). But unfortunately, the pandemic ( عالمی وباء ) appears and reverse the elimination of child labor and now many of children are facing the risk of being pushed ( دھکیل دیا جا رہا ہے )in the child labour. Children in child labour are at risk of physical and mental harm. Child labour compromises children’s education, restricting ( محدود کرنا ) their rights and limiting their future opportunities, and leads to vicious inter-generational ( شیطانی بین نسل ) cycles of poverty and child labour. Additional economic shocks ( اقتصادی جھٹکے ) and school closures caused by COVID-19 mean that children already in child labour may be working longer hours or under worsening ( بگڑ رہا ہے ) conditions, while many more may be forced into the worst forms of child labour due to job and income losses among vulnerable ( کمزور ) families.
Types of child labors:
Following are the some of the types of work which are done by the children as a labor:
1. Agriculture
2. Automobile workshop
3. Street work
4. Textile factory work
5. Shoe polishing
6. Dish washer in restaurant
7. Selling wood
8. Collecting bottles
9. Begging
Causes of child labor:
Following are the factors which causes the child labor:
Lack of access to quality education:
At some extent our education is not strong enough to encourage(حوصلہ افزائی) these kids for the good education. Schools are now days has become business. Schools only provide(فراہم کریں) quality education to those who can pay enough fee to them. Schools should be welcoming to all kinds od children to provide equal level of education.
Limited understanding of child labor:
There is a problem in our societyمعاشرہ) that there is not enough knowledge about the drawbacks(خرابیاں) of child labor. There should be a proper instructing institution(ادارہ) to guide the parents of such children.
Poverty:
Poverty is one of the biggest reasons(وجوہات) behind child labour. Many poor parents, who cannot afford their daily expenses(اخراجات), force their children to do labor and earn money at a very young age to support their family. According to the United Nation’s MDG program, 24.3 per cent people are living below the poverty(غربت) line which results in the causes of child labor.
Illiterate parents:
Another most prominent factor behind the child labor is the illiteracy of parents(والدین کی ناخواندگی) who doesn’t believe that education is more important than earning at early ages. An illiterate person doesn’t know the importance(اہمیت) of education, so he preferred to do not waste the money(پیسہ) on the education of child. An illiterate person does not know the rights of his child and his responsibilities(ذمہ داریاں) to him. Rather, he thinks of himself as a master and his child as his servant who is bound(پابند) to work and earn for him. The current illiteracy rate of Pakistan is nearly(تقریبا) more than 40 per cent.
Over population:
Illiteracy and over population are more than similar(ملتے جلتے) to each other, With practically no earlier idea to future implications(مضمرات), illiterate parents pay no regard to appropriate(مناسب) family arranging. Thus, when it becomes hard for them to raise or support their numerous(متعدد) children; they power their kids to work and procure.
Government negligence:
Another cause of child labor government negligence(غفلت) towards this menace is adding insult to injury. While it is growing, the respective(متعلقہ) governments seem to be quite oblivious(غافل) to it. No effective laws or policies exist(موجود) that could curb child labour. The administration(انتظامیہ) does not even consider it something serious to deal with.
Cheap labor:
Children often doesn’t paid much for doing work that’s why they are economical(کم خرچ) for the people who use them as a labor. They don’t have to pay much salary(تنخواہ) to those children.
Impact of child labor on society:
Following are the impact of child labor on society:
A rise in Illiteracy Rate:
Child labor can definitely cause the increase in illiteracy(ناخواندگی) because child labor mainly deprived(محروم) the basic rights like education. After some time when they grew up, their lack of knowledge can cause the bad impact(کے اثرات) on society.
A rise in Terrorism and Social Crimes:
Such children are vulnerable(کمزور) and can easily play in the hands of terrorist organizations. These terrorist groups(دہشت گرد گروہ) use them for their own ulterior motives. Mostly, this class of society is involved(ملوث) in most of the terrorist activities performed. Usually, criminal gangs are always in searchتلاش کریں) of such vulnerable people.
Impact on social development and progress:
Any country that has a high child labour rate will always be low on the progress scale. As education is the key to progress and development(ترقی); when children are deprived(محروم) of education, they fail to become responsible citizens of the country. Rather than playing a positive role in a country’s development, they hamper the progress(ترقی) of the country.
More child labor in future:
A child who has done labour at an early age, when grows up(بڑھتا ہے) and becomes a father; tends to follow the example of his father. This is what the culture of poverty(غربت کی ثقافت) is all about. This is a vicious circle(شیطانی دائرہ) that continues for ages. Mostly, that child when becomes father forces his own children to work and earn for him in most(زیادہ تر) cases. Thus, child labour keeps breeding more child labour in society.
Recommendation to reduce the child labor:
Following are the recommendations and the suggestions that can be useful to reduce the child labor:
Role of Govt.:
First and the most important role(اہم کردار) can be played by the government because it is government responsibility to make effective policies(موثر پالیسیاں) and laws to discourage the child labor. Government should take serious steps against the people who are using child as a labor, and they must e punished(سزا دی) and fined for this act of violence. Moreover, government can provide free education to such children. Furthermore, government can provide free allowance(الاؤنس) to the poor parents of such children. It is the governments themselves who are primarily responsible for the rights of the convention(کنونشن) to be respected and observed within the country.
Role of NGOs:
NGOs can also play a significant role in curbing child labour. They can accumulate funds(فنڈز جمع کریں) for all such poor children. On their part, they can establish(قائم کریں) educational and skill development institutes for poor children. Moreover, these organizations can also do door to door campaigns(مہمات) to raise awareness among parents. They can also educate/guide parents on the rights of children and their proper nourishment(پرورش).
Role of media:
Lastly media can play a very effective role in eliminating(ختم کرنا) child labour from society. As media has the largest outreach and can effectively(مؤثر طریقے سے) mold the thinking of the public; it can easily make the public aware of the curse of child labour.
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