Child Labor... more than a crime!

Child labor refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations. Legislation across the world prohibit child labor.

Education is the primitive right of every individual. Each and every child has the right to dream and reach his aspiration through his education. Why still there are millions of children in my country deprived of this basic right.

In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, child labor is still prevalent. In 2010, Africa had the highest incidence rates of child labor, with several African nations witnessing over 50 percent of children aged 5–14 working. Worldwide agriculture is the largest employer of child labor. The vast majority of child labor is found in rural settings and informal urban economy; children are predominantly employed by their parents, rather than factories. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the primary cause of child labor.

In Pakistan, it is today's need to raise our voice against child labor and create tremendous awareness among all of us to take initiative towards helping the poor so that their children could be educated and would be a source of pride for all the community. 

They have a right to be treated with equal humanity and justice rather than the contempt they face. The innocent faces bear the harshness of the world and get exploited by their own families just for the sake of earning some money. My heart bleeds whenever I happen to see a child begging on a traffic signal or selling something and I get this strong feeling that so much work has to be done in my country to save the next generation!!!