ERADICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF CHILD LABOR AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH BY ABOLITION OF LIVING…
By: Hafiza Aliya
Tags: Amal Fellowship, Amal Academy

ERADICATION OF THE PRESENCE OF CHILD LABOR AND IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH BY ABOLITION OF LIVING STANDARD DIFFERENCE

What’s CHILD LABOR in Pakistan?

Child labor defines as the employment of children who are younger than under minimum legal age. However, some child domestic workers in Pakistan are still working under the worst form of child labor which relieves them from education.

“Child labor is a sin; every kid has the right to study. The student group leader made his point. After a hot debate ended. He turned around shouting. Hey Chotu, get tea for everyone!”_ Sushmitha Duvvi.

IMPACT OF CHILD LABOR

Child labor is a serious crime all over the world. The UNICEF defines child labor as some type of work performed by children below the age of 18. There is something seriously wrong with our country which not only fails to educate all children but also destroys the mental health of these children. The child labor act increases poverty in the country. Our country is going back to the dark ages. The number of child laborers in our country is about 12 million.

INCREASES POVERTY IN COUNTRY

HARM MENTAL HEALTH

DETERMINANTS OF CHILD LABOR

According to statistics released by the Federal Bureau of Statistics last year, 3.8 million children in the age group of five to 14 years are working in our country out of a total of 40 million children. Fifty percent of these economically active children are in the age group of five to nine years. Even out of these 3.8 million children, 2.7 million were claimed to be working in the agricultural sector. About 2,400,000 (73 percent) of them were said to be boys.

PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES FACED BY CHILD LABOR:

The main reason for Child Laboring in Pakistan is poverty and lack of awareness about the disadvantages of Child labor. Due to this poor families send their kids for work, so the kids can also contribute financially to their families for fulfilling their basic needs but where children work, the administration or owner of that place tortures them physically in this way they got hurt physically as well as mentally.

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

Child Labor is those children who are working in many small places (shops, car repairing shops, etc) because of poverty. These children face physically tortured by the owner of those places due to this worst attitude their mental health also affected very badly. It harms their mental health and they go into depression and complex because they feel the standard living difference and then they also get involved in immoral and illegal activities that are stealing and robbery. So I want to eradicate the presence of Child Labor and improve physical and mental health by the abolition of living standards difference and I want to give basic Islamic education to children for the knowledge of basic rights and forbidden activities and also give awareness about the disadvantages of Child Labor to the poor families through awareness seminars.

AWARENESS SEMINARS ON CHILD LABOR

EXPLANATION:

When I worked with AL-KOUSAR CHARITY in Iftar Drive I observed those kids who they are very happy because the members of this NGO eat food with them on Iftaar dastarkhuaan and they ask me you all are eating with us on this dastarkhuan I said yes dear they were smiling and said how is it possible that you all are eating with us on this dastarkhuan this statement was so heart wrenching to me and I saw their happiness was reflected in their eyes that moment inspired me a lot. I always remember that day and I realized these children feel the standards of living are different and they become complex and I took the decision I’ll work on it.

So I want to raise my voice against Child Labor because children through this worst act they become complex they feel down and they get depressed mentally and they will be engaged in illegal activities like stealing and robbery for fulfilling their family's basic needs through a financial contribution.

So I want to work on the mental improvement of child labor. I want to give basic Islamic education and teaching all human, societal and social rights to the children in the light of the Quran and Hadith for mental health improvement. They never go to do illegal activities and their good educational performance I’ll reward them with new clothes like which I wear. In this way, their complex on the difference of living standards removed as well as their basic need fulfilled by this act. Because poor families didn’t want shields and medals they want to fulfill their child’s basic needs. So they also happy.

Initially, I’m teaching Islamic education from my home to my maid’s kids free of cost but I want to do on large scale. I also want to give free food to them during studying. I want to give awareness seminars on Child Labor also.

So I need funds and I want to generate funds through my other partnership business activity that's the business of Hijabs, Abayas, and related products but my partnership business recently started. so I’m not able to do it on a large scale.

So, we need to understand that all children have equal educational rights, they are equally treated like other children in the whole world.

Have a nice day!

HAFIZA ALIYA BINTE ADIL