Scholarship /
Addressing the problem of 21st century Pakistan. [3]
Q.
Identify a problem in your country that you feel needs to be addressed. Explain your choice and discuss the opportunities that you've had to either address the issue or learn more about it. How can you as a leader take action to resolve this issue? (1000 words)Child labor: Pakistan's biggest problem
Since its inception, Pakistan has been facing immense problems and since the past 70 years we are struggling as a nation and trying to resolve our problems but fortune seems to have other plans for us.
Pakistan has many major problems that need to get resolve otherwise we won't be able to compete with the rapidly changing world. I feel that among these problems there are some issues that need dire attention.
We all must have had a lot of maids in our homes and we, of course, do not care about the ages of our maids, I mean, who asks the age of a maid, it's such a waste of time, right? Does that mean that in some way or another we are all responsible for rapidly increasing Child Labor in Pakistan? I think we are.
Child Labour, the most neglected issue in our mediocre society, which, I feel needs to get addressed immediately otherwise nothing will be left but regret. The future of each and every country depends on the youth of the country that's why it's so important for the youth to be educated but unfortunately, our children who soon will become the youth of our country are busy doing house chores and other jobs due to the deteriorating conditions of their families. In order to support their financially dependent families children have to work.
According to a survey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, out of the estimated 40 million children in Pakistan 19 million children are working as child laborers. How unfortunate is that? The children whose hands should get stained due to the spots of ink are getting filthy not due to ink spots but due to their labor.
Education and awareness in a society are the chief factors that lead a society towards progress and this awareness and intellect come from children of the society but unfortunately, the children of our society are not getting the education but are doing something that is not their duty.
Child labor has some very deplorable effects on children as well as on the society. Child labor causes severe mental and physical health problems for underage children because their bosses do not pay a much-needed attention to their health, therefore, child laborers often become malnourished. This sloppiness results in many causalities. Child labour also turn children into thieves as most of the child labours do not receive a handsome amount of money from their respective place of work and in desperation to earn some money so that they can support their not so privileged families, they go towards an easy way of earning money and therefore, most of them get involve in burglary and ends up jails. This increases the crime rate in a particular area and drastically effects the economy of a country. Furthermore, the children who could not find work in any local firm or any shop often end up on streets or fall prey to prostitution. The most deplorable effect of child labor is that these children do not receive education and the literacy rate of the country decreases, I believe that child labor is the main cause behind the low literacy rate in Pakistan. Illiteracy hampers the overall economic growth of a country and reflects poor human development. Illiteracy means that when these children turn into adults, it becomes impossible for them to find work in respectable companies and their condition does not improve at all. I feel that as a society we need to address this issue and honestly, I don't find any appropriate reason for neglecting this issue. I believe this issue needs dire attention. Seriously, we need to think that what we are doing with the children of our society.
I think I addressed this issue because I have the opportunity of education. I am educated and that's why I think that each and every child should also have this great opportunity. I have the awareness that's why I am raising this issue and that awareness has come through education. I have the opportunity of internet at my home through which I can learn more about child labor and internet can also help me raise awareness about this particular issue which I have addressed earlier. I have a family that really encourages my empathy that I have for other children in the society who are not as privileged as I am. I feel that having a family that motivates you and allow you to speak your mind is an opportunity that has enabled me to address the issue of child labor.
As a leader, I can make laws against child labor and can also assure the implementation of those laws. I know that many laws have been passed against child labor but the implementation on them is very poor. I can educate underprivileged children. If I am a leader of any company I can make sure that my company neither encourages child labor nor support anyone who accepts child labor. As a leader, I can raise awareness regarding this sensitive issue by conducting workshops against child labor all over the country. As a leader of my home, which obviously I will be at some point in my life, I would not hire any maid without knowing his/her age and would make sure no child is working under my roof because charity begins at home. As the leader of my own self I can wear a badge on my shirt of 'SAY NO TO CHILD LABOR', that'll obviously make some impact on people around me and maybe they'll get inspired and eventually will stop making children labourers and maybe they also tell other people about this and child labor would eventually be eradicated. Well, I hope so.
