Two poems and an essay from the
Aga Khan Higher Secondary School Gilgit, Pakistan
I met the deserved face
Lovely, shining with strong bare
Who had worked all day
Lacked the food of my way
His hands were weary
He had none, so nearly
To support, for his care
To counsel, look and dare
His high aim and objective
To be a man so effective
Be in the garden, like roses
Prosper his family and the houses
Of his beloved country and land
With the same very same ached hand
O' Humane! To thee is my quest
It is only, thy zeal and zest
Which can heal the wounded bird
And can complete, the incomplete herd.
Fida Hussain
On the way to school
I met a little lad
Of hardly ten, but with a mettle
Following a flock of cattle
But it seemed to me
Cattle were guiding him
He tried to drive them
But they were driving him
I took a sigh of relief
Seeing an innocent, youth
Deprived of basic education
Running after his innocent ambitions
So I took my way
To the school, with an iron will
That I would be the one
Who would eliminate this disparity
Imtiaz Karim
Children are the blessings of God. They add to the daily hustle bustle and charm of life. This is a universal fact that everyone desires to see children in a happy and pleasant mood. But how many children enjoy their life that they deserve, especially in the developing countries. A considerable number of children are pressurized to do physical work rather than giving them a conducive environment for education and recreation. This is the age when they enjoy playing.
Child labor is more common in third world countries like Pakistan, India Bangladesh and Sri Lanka where there are poor economic conditions and most of the people live below the poverty line. This is the principal cause of child labor in developing countries. Children, who do not have enough money to buy food, need to do work daily for 8-10 hours just for the sake of a meal. They remain unaware of their future because they have no access to education. Despite of children's dependence on parents, their parents are dependent upon them for their nutrition. Thus they are compelled to do work and feed their families. Moreover, these children are deprived of basic needs of life like food, shelter and education.
These children work in automobile workshops, hotels, and shops selling different
products collecting garbage for which they are paid ten to twenty rupees daily.
At times these children indulge in such activities, which are associated with
terrorism and drug abuse. The children when grown up may prove to be dangerous
not only for the society but for the whole nation.
Access to education is a fundamental right of every child. About more than
half of the children are unable to get education because their parents cannot
afford. Primary education is very necessary for children. High quality, compulsory
primary education can be the key that unlocks the prison cell of exploitative
child labor.
Policy makers should made primary education obligatory for every child and it must be given free. Rather that getting education, many children leave their schools and work full time because they cannot afford getting education. A small boy said with a ray of hope, "When I was pulled out of school and put to work, I was angry- at my work, at my boss, my parents…Now back in primary school, I have a new life, I can laugh and play and read again." Statistics show that in Pakistan just male working children numbers are 19m- four times Singapore's total population and the total children working in India is as much as 44m.
The magnitude of child labor is too large. This increasing magnitude can decrease the literacy rate and it may become a difficult task for administrative units to accommodate so many of the illiterate people. Therefore, through legislation, child labor needs to be banned and it must link to an effective poverty alleviation plan. An out-of-school girl in Pakistan says, " If people want us to go to school instead of work, they must give us the money to do so and make schools better, then we would stop stitching. Who wants to injure their fingers? " The child's response shows that people do not go to work at their own, rather certain circumstances compel them to work, especially circumstances related to economy. Otherwise most of the children show a desire to study.
Children are considered the future of a nation. If large number of children would be illiterate and socially unacceptable, then future would remain dark. Thus banning child labor and giving free primary education is the urgent need of time to ensure a constructive and bright future.
Fazal Amin