I write not merely as a citizen, but as a witness to stolen childhoods and broken dreams. In every narrow alley, every brick kiln and every bustling tea stall, there are small hands doing big jobs — hands that should be holding pencils, not tools; hands that should be painting rainbows, not polishing shoes.
Child labour is not just a social issue; it is a silent crime. It deprives children of their right to education, health and innocence. Poverty may be the excuse, but indifference is the real villain. We pass by these children every day, sip tea served by them, or see them sell flowers at traffic signals, yet we rarely pause to ask: Why is this child working while mine is studying?
This is not a letter filled with statistics; it’s one filled with emotion. It’s a plea to awaken our conscience. The government must enforce strict laws, yes. But society, too, must become kinder. Let us not normalise child labour. Let us raise voices, fund education, support families and, above all, protect dreams.
Let no child be forced to trade their childhood for survival.
MARYAM
KARACHI
