Pakistan Social Issues

AIDS
ALCOHOLISM
CORRUPTION
CURRENCY: Whether we need a common world
currency?
ECOLOGY
ETHNIC CLEANSING
HANDICAPPED & MENTALLY ILL
HUNGER
INDIGENT
Nutrition: Mal-Nutrition
Pension plans
POOR & POVERTY
PROSTITUTION
lifeonline.org Has A social issues TV show also.
RACISM
REFUGEES
RETIREMENT PROGRAMS (The need for country
program)
SOCIAL SECURITY (The need for country programs)
UNEMPLOYMENT
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS (Problem people living
on the dough for years)
WELFARE

Social Issue/Problem :( Pakistan) Pakistan as a

nation is a developing country and consequently she faces a wide
array of social problems: educational, economical, political, religious
and a number of internal ethnic conflicts. However I believe that it is
more important to address small issues first and then work towards
the annihilation of the larger ones. After all small steps lead to big
changes and transformations. Child Labour is a social issue within
Pakistan and is considered a violation of human rights by the United
Nations. Pakistani society is such that, a poor child can quite
conveniently be deprived of basic education, only to feed the rest of
his family members. Anyone up to the age of 18 is a child and his
basic right is to receive education and proper upbringing rather than
use his hands to destroy his own bright future. Children are
especially exploited in the third world countries as they are a cheap
source of labour and Pakistan children are used as labourers in the
Sports Industry, Carpet Industry and the Footwear and in glassware
production. According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics of Pakistan,
3.3 million out of 40 million children are working in various industries,
although child labour is strictly prohibited by law. Child Labour is a
serious social problem within Pakistan because the future and
progress of any country depends on an educated and enlightened
youth and if a child is not properly socialized then he/she will not be
able to grow as confident and literate Pakistani citizens. There are
various reasons for exploitation of children within the economic
sector of Pakistan and such causes are directly related to the major
social problems of Pakistan. Sociological Variables as the Causes of
Child Labour in Pakistan: The factors that generate child labour within
Pakistan are parental poverty and illiteracy; an irresponsible political
system; social and economic pressures; lack of education. Social attitudes
in Pakistan due to which a child is considered an adult at quiet an early
stage due to biological changes, also are a cause of exploitation of
children below 18 years. Poverty is a major social issue within Pakistan
and as a result children are made to work in various industries in order to
support their financially poor parents. The status of the family directly
influences the choices available to a child and obviously if a family is
extremely poor with comparatively less resources then consequently, each
member, be it a child or an adult will be required to work and bring in
money in order to survive. The economic and family status in the rural
areas of Pakistan id quite low and as a result children are forced to work in
various manufacturing and tertiary industries and are also over-
exploited.61.2 % of Pakistan is illiterate and poor education resulting in
limited exposure to human rights is a major cause of child labour.
Education is a sociological variable and is of extreme importance because
it emancipates a person from the grip of ignorance. However most people
in the rural areas have no access to educational institutions and thus a
child learns the tricks of trade from his father and instead of gaining
education he chooses to work as a labourer or is at times forced by
parents’ due to their own lack of basic knowledge. Pakistan does not have
sound educational system under which a child can be adequately
socialized into becoming a productive member of society. Education is not
treated as a priority and inevitably child exploitation continues within our
nation. Girls and boys are forced to work as domestic servants in the
homes of the upper middle class or the richer elite. Thus class divisions
become more prominent with the exploitation of the poor by the rich and
this leads to an inequitable distribution of wealth and income. Pakistan is
going through a serious social stratification problem and the rich
continuesto get richer whereas the poor continues to get poorer. Girls are
exploited within the rich households, are paid less and are often physically
harassed by the male owners. This leads to further sex and gender related
issues and thus child labour needs to be strongly curtailed. Pakistan needs
a strong government and political structure to address the issue of child
labour. However President Musharraf’s government is a military
dictatorship which considers a nuclear programme a priority but banning
child labour is not a serious issue for them. There are loopholes in the
political structure of Pakistan and a weak government is a main cause of
the denial of rights of the citizens of a country. Therefore children’s rights
are largely ignored and deliberately avoided. For a positive change a
democracy is needed which will fight against child labour through
reformative action and laws and regulations. In Pakistan 7% of children
working suffer from health problems and are physically abused as well by
their owners. These are all structural problems within the social agencies
of Pakistan which not only accelerate the rate of child labour but also set a
precedent for other developing nations to follow.