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Thursday, November 27, 2014

CHILD LABOUR IN PAKISTAN






Labour below  the age of 14 is called child labor. Child labour is defined in ILO Conventions. It is work that children should not be doing because they are too young to work, or – if they are old enough to work – because it is dangerous or otherwise unsuitable for them. Not all work done by children should be classified as child labour that is to be targeted for elimination. Children’s or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their education, is generally regarded as being something positive. Whether or not particular forms of “work” can be called “child labour” depends on the child’s age, the type and hours of work performed and the conditions under which it is performed, as set out in the ILO Conventions. India has the largest number of child labour in the world. According to the census figures of 1991, India has 11.29 million child labourers, which constitute 1.34 per cent of the total population of our country. Children work in dhabas, eateries helpers or cleaners in trucks and as domestic servants etc. They have long working hours, bad and unhygienic working conditions and fewer wages. The main reason behind child labour is poverty. Children born in poor families are forced to work not only for their own survival but also for their family. Awareness of the people and Government also compels poor parents to make their children employed as laborers in agricultural forms, factories, brick kilns and as domestic servants. Let us all take a step to ban this evil.
In Pakistan children aged 5-14 are above 40 million. During the last year, the Federal Bureau of Statistics released the results of its survey funded by ILO’s IPEC (International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour). The findings were that 3.8 million children age group of 5-14 years are working in Pakistan out of total 40 million children in this age group; fifty percent of these economically active children are in age group of 5 to 9 years. Even out of these 3.8 million economically active children, 2.7 million were claimed to be working in the agriculture sector. Two million and four hundred thousand (73%) of them were said to be boys.
Consider the point that if 30% of our country’s total population is leading life below the poverty-line wherein the people are deprived of basic necessities of life like clothing, shelter, food, education and medication, the children of these people will be forced to become Labourers or workers in order to survive. Another reason of child Labour in Pakistan is that our people don’t have the security of social life. There is no aid plan or allowance for children in our country. Class-based education system is another reason for increasing child Labour; villages lack standardized education systems and as a result, child Labour is on increase in rural areas. The government has not put its laws into practice to stop child Labour in our country. Employers after exploiting child Labour, extract a large surplus, whereas child Labour, despite increasing poverty, unemployment and other problems, are pressed to do anything and everything for their livelihood and the survival of their families.
Causes of Child Labour
·         Poverty
·         Culture and tradition
·         Barriers to education
·         Market demand
·         The effects of income shocks on households
·         Lack of legislation and/or poor enforcement of existing legislation



                Child Labour is a complex problem which demands a range of solutions. There is no better way to prevent child Labour than to make education compulsory. The West understood this a long time ago. Laws were enacted very early to secure continued education for working children; and now they have gone a step forward, and required completion of at least the preliminary education of the child before he or she starts work.
Child labour is a serious crime all over the world. The Unicef defines child labour 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 its children but also depends on them to keep its economy afloat.The country is heading back into the dark ages with only a few lucky one receiving education. The number of child labourers in our country is about 12 million.

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 per cent 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 per cent) of them were said to be boys.
The present government in Pakistan has made elementary education compulsory. Along with this, the government has distributed free books in primary schools so that parents, who cannot afford their children’s school expenses, send their children to schools. The major point is that this decision must be acted upon at all levels. There is strict need to stop child Labour in this country. Awareness must be raised and the attention of parents ought to be diverted to the education of their children. Child Labour Laws should be put into practice strictly. In addition, the educational system of the country-must be reshaped and restructured according to national development goals. The orphans and other deserving children must be helped financially on a prolonged basis. It is also essential to eliminate child Labour from the country, that the political, economical and social system of the country are need to be reshaped and such steps taken that make child Labour in this country a crime. They should bring on the well-being of a lay man, good governance and end to exploitative thinking. If we succeed to act upon these principles, our country can easily get rid of this problem i.e. child Labour. The agreement that has recently been approved by Pakistan, Norway and ILO to eradicate child Labour must be given importance and we hope that our rulers must put this agreement into practice using all means at their disposal.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

CHILD BEGGARS IN KARACHI




Article By:     Salma Bano
                        BS (final) year
                       Women’s studies
                       University of Karachi 



Pakistan is facing street begging at an alarming ratio. The country is suffering from poverty which has caused hundreds of people to commit suicide, forced women to sell out their children and youngsters to leave their homes and start begging. Begging is now considered as an easy source of earning money. This is the reason why most of the physically fit young people are usually seen begging on the streets.
We often observed young girls and boys begging in university timing from students. Usually we observed about these beggars especially girl child beggars so how we can finish this shameful act from society.
Often they disturb people they reply them harshly and ask them to leave. They ask them the worth of two or three rupees they says these two or three rupees are much worthy for them. Due to the poverty and lack of awareness and unavailability of basic needs these young girls come out on street for begging and are harassed and exploited brutally.
Government should introduce some schemes and training through which they can establish their future living and also should be strict laws to restrict beggary especially for girls.
Donations funds should given to deserving people and also given training and skills. Jobs opportunities should provide them according to their intellect and skills. NGOs should help their families and give them guide in proper way. NGOs can play vital role if they want they can work on these issues at least, then hope there problems goes can be minimized.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Obesity in Women



Article By:    Bilqees Bano
                      BS final year
                      Department of women studies





Obesity negatively impacts the health of women in many ways. Being overweight or obese increases the relative risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease in women. Women who are obese have a higher risk of low back pain and knee osteoarthritis. Obesity negatively affects both contraception and fertility as well. Maternal obesity is linked with higher rates of cesarean section as well as higher rates of high-risk obstetrical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Pregnancy outcomes are negatively affected by maternal obesity (increased risk of neonatal mortality and malformations). Maternal obesity is associated with a decreased intention to breastfeed, decreased initiation of breastfeeding, and decreased duration of breastfeeding. There seems to be an association between obesity and depression in women, though cultural factors may influence this association. Obese women are at higher risk for multiple cancers, including endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, breast cancer, and perhaps ovarian cancer. The prevalence of obesity is rising. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 1 billion people are overweight, with 300 million meeting the criteria for obesity.1 Twenty-six percent of no pregnant women ages 20 to 39 are overweight and 29% are obese.2
Although many social, psychological, and cultural factors likely contribute to the development of depression in obese women, one explanation argues that the stigma toward obese individuals in American society leads to low self-esteem and ultimately depression. Thus, in communities where a higher weight is acceptable, less psychological impact is observed. Another theory argues that obesity is not stressful per se, but the pressure to fit a norm and continued dieting leads to depression.
Obesity is becoming more prevalent and has wide-ranging effects on a variety of women's health issues. Clinicians should counsel all women about the broad negative effects of obesity and the importance of controlling weight to prevent negative outcomes.
                                                                    
 References



2.Hedley AA, Ogden CL, Johnson CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity among US children, adolescents, and adults, 1999–2002. JAMA 2004; 291: 2847–50.

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