Stop child labour

In Pakistan, many children leave school because their families need money. They work in workshops, hotels, shops, farms, brick kilns, homes, markets, and on the streets. Some start work before they are old enough to understand what they are losing. After hours of lifting, cleaning, selling, washing, carrying or serving, a child reaches school tired. Concentration becomes difficult. Homework is left unfinished. Attendance falls. Results suffer. Then the child is called weak, careless or 'not interested in studies'. The real problem is unseen. Poor families need income, so the child works. Work damages education, weak education reduces future job choices, and poverty continues into the next generation. Child labour can also expose children to injuries, abuse, harsh treatment, dangerous machinery, extreme heat, chemicals and sexual exploitation. Pakistan cannot seriously talk about education for every child whereas children are working during school hours or arriving in class exhausted. Families need income support. Schools need strong retention systems. Employers who use child labour must face real consequences. A child should be learning how to build a future, not working to survive today. Tania Shahjahan Kamber Ali Khan