By Ms. Ismat Mustafa Khan
The exploitative employment of children in industry or business-based activities has not been decreasing remarkably for the last two decades.
This forced work where children miss their potential abilities to attend regular school can be hazardous in a number of ways. In order to highlight the issues related to child labor, 12th June, 2025 is being marked as World Day Against Child Labor with the theme ‘Progress is clear, but there’s more to do; let’s speed up efforts’.
Children’s exploitation is prohibited by law all across the world.
Though, children under the age of 14 who work as artists, fulfill necessary family duties or earn under some specifically inevitable circumstances are exempted from the label of child labor.
However, they equally need and deserve security provision by legislation from any mental, physical, social and economic harm.
Over the years, there has been decline in global child labor practices but the total number of child laborers remains high and the issue needs to be addressed. African and Asian societies still face economic pressures and the graphs of child labor stay high here. One suggestion for such poor and developing countries where the family size is usually large and children have to earn for family support is curricula review in school education. If education-based activities can be transformed with a touch of functional skills’ learning, children would definitely be able to earn better future livelihood in a truly positive spirit of work.
Young students from Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, Kallar Syedan projected their ideas on paper to draw the attention of people around towards child labor. –The author also serves as the Principal of OPF Public School, Kallar Syedan
