Child labour is growing at the alarming pace across various parts of Balochistan and is a certain destructive tool to devastate the future of Balochistan’s will. Children ranging from different ages are apparently seen working at different workplaces with lots of burdens on their shoulders only to earn a small amount per every day to survive their days and nights.
Turbat, the second largest city of Balochistan, has the greatest number of child labourers as compared to other provinces of Pakistan but still it is decaying particularly because of negligence and ignorance of this issue by the concerned authorities, and Balochistan has become the hub of out-of-school children.
After a survey across Turbat, when an 18-year-old boy, Essa Nadeem, a resident of a far flung area of Turbat (Khairabad) declared, “I wish to pursue my education at university level after the completion of my intermediate but alas! I quit up my education and worked in a shop as a child labourer when my father left the world and I had to endure hardships to fulfil the responsibility of my small family.”
Child labour is a major impediment which terminates a person’s education. The city of Turbat is full of such misery stories, where children quit their education and worked as child labour.
Every child wants to get enrolled in school instead of a workplace. Happly some children carry the bags towards schools, but sadly too many children wake up before the sun rises and rush towards their workplaces and return at home after the sunset with enduring unbearable pain.
However, the 1973 Constitution guarantees to stop the children from working at the earlier age of life, as Article 25A guarantees fundamental education for every child aged 5 to 16. After observing the children at different workplaces in a large number, it is crystal clear that the constitution remain unimplemented.
In addition, there are some certain factors which help make child labour a growing crisis: factors such as poverty, low family income, inflation, illness and death in the family, debt, even lots of children are forced to work by the family.
Children working in their earlier age always try to find an isolated environment for themselves and always try to find a difference between them and others, by devaluing their self-esteem, and considering themselves inferior to others while lots of children are mostly separated from their families and they never try to create similar bonding with their families, rather adopt different conduct and behaviour.
Allah Baksh, a Class 8 student of 16, who resides in Turbat (Salala Bazaar), was a par-time worker in a garage in the evening. When asked about the factor which made him obliged to work in a garage, he asserted, “I passionately and overwhelmingly wanted to study in the evening in an academy after my school classes, but unfortunately the constant inflation was the factor why I worked in a garage as a part-time worker; since, my father could only work at home, which is insufficient to meet the requirements of the home; hence, I was asked by the family to work with the study so as to earn a small amount of money.”
On the other hand, Article 37A states about the protection of children to ascertain that the children shall not engage in work unsuited to their age and sex. Meanwhile, lots of children are engaged in hazardous jobs; reportedly a child, Amir, 15, was working with adult male labourers and faced the worst consequences of work because of tough activities and died when a block hit his head.
After admitting him to hospital, a doctor reported “A big block hit his head and he passed away”. The government must ensure that children are safe and secure at the workplace.
Psychological effects including depression, anxiety, hopelessness, shame, guilt, loss of confidence are some of the horrible emotional effects which are long-lasting issues. The children are also involved in life-threatening jobs such as sex work, smuggling, drug sale and suchlike.
A study conducted by Malalqa in 2004 in Jordan showed that working children have a lower level of adaptive skill, poorer physical health and demonstrate unwanted social behaviour. Due to child labour, children are separated from their families and communities and encounter sexual abuse and emotional trauma.
While speaking at a seminar a child psychologist said, “While children working at an earlier age at different workplaces survive in the worst atmosphere such as an abusive environment, drink alcohol, face trafficking issues, adopt criminal behaviour hence, these effects thoroughly affect their future rather it moves generation to generation.”
Further, he added, children working in their earlier age always try to find an isolated environment for themselves and always try to find a difference between them and others, by devaluing their self-esteem, and considering themselves inferior to others while lots of children are mostly separated from their families and they never try to create similar bonding with their families, rather adopt different conduct and behaviour.
Irrespective of everything else, children as the backbone of the nation must get all their fundamental rights and most importantly they shall get the opportunity of education to contribute better towards the nation.
