By: Abdul Basit Alvi
In developed and welfare countries, the poor and low-income people are not considered inferior to the rich in any way. The laws and their application are equal for all. Merit prevails and the rights of people, whether rich or poor are equal to the people. The collected tax money is spent on providing facilities to the public. Inflation and commodity prices are not increased unjustifiably and suddenly. The minimum wage rate is also increased according to the inflation rate. They have made such a system in which there is no significant difference in the lifestyle, food and other daily matters and facilities of the poor and the rich.
On the contrary, in our country, the poor are getting poorer day by day, while the rich are getting richer. The gap between the poor and the rich is increasing. The poor are grinding into the mill of poverty. All the resources are in the hands of the elite and the wealthy. The tax collected from the people, instead of providing facilities to the people, wasted in corruption and is used to facilitate the rich and elite. The violation of merit is on the rise and the poor struggle to get their rights. Inflation and the prices of commodities are often unjustifiably increased, which directly affects the poor. There is a severe lack of health, education, employment, water and other basic necessities of life for the poor. The situation of poor remains same in any government.
But how sad it is that the reality in our country is quite the opposite than that of in developed countries. In our society of capitalists, landlords, princes and estates, the insult of hard work and labor is at its peak. When we come to the houses, we see that the employees and home maids are not allowed to sit and eat with the owner. He is not given the owner’s food. The owner drinks mineral or filtered water, but the employee uses ordinary tap water. The employee also has separate utensils that cannot even touch the owner’s utensils. The servant quarter is also built away from the house. Verbal abuse and beatings are also common with the employees. Separate articles and columns can be written on harassment and child labor.
This was the plight of the domestic workers, on the other hand, the situation of ordinary workers is not quite different as well. They sit on the side of the roads for days looking for work. Even if they get a chance to work. The young and healthy are taken away by sorting out while thin, weak old ones are rejected. Industrial workers also have a different story. In the real sense, there is no insurance, pension, education and medical treatment facilities for the poor and workers.
Now look at another miserable picture which is child labour. From homes to hotels, workshops, public transport, little children are seen working everywhere. Children are forced to work at their ages of playing and studying.
Readers, even hard-hearted parents can’t send their livers to work happily. Behind every child labor there is a bitter story and compulsion. Need is to understand these bitter realities of the society and solve them.
The main cause of child labor is social inequalities and poverty. Unfortunately in our country the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The resources are only with the wealthy and the common man has only problems. The law is not the same for the rich and the poor. To tell the truth, sometimes it seems that the law and its implementation are only for the poor. If the poor do not pay the electricity bill for a month, the connection is cut off. While rich continues to benefit from all the facilities despite being insolvent of millions. Sales tax is imposed on food and drink and consumption items. As soon as you step out of your home, tax collection starts in one form or another, but you don’t know where these billions of rupees go. In developed and welfare states, the tax is levied on the people, but in our country, the situation is opposite where the tax obtained by squeezing the blood of the people goes into the pockets of the wealthy. To eliminate economic inequality, it is necessary to increase the tax on the rich. The collected money should be spent on the poor. Education, health and all basic facilities should be provided to them equally. Transparency in the tax system is also necessary. Children should be admitted to school by giving child allowance to the poor and unemployed in the style of welfare states. These children should be provided with free books and uniforms. It is also important to look at each case separately and find a workable solution. NGOs are doing a great job in public awareness. Data can be obtained by taking help from local community and NGOs. The labour class in our beloved country is considered to be the most helpless, powerless and miserable. Inflation has made the life of our laborers worst. We have no concept of a minimum wage that is compatible with the conditions and inflation. Exploitation of workers is on the rise. First of all, there is no work and even if it is found, the wages are very low. Complaints about not getting wages on time are also common. Immediate and equal justice is also not available. There is a lack of education, Health & safety and insurance facilities. There is no functional and adequate pension system for private worker. The journey of labor starts from childhood to the grave. Our system expects the same quality and quantity of work from a ten-year and an eighty-year old labor.
Readers, it is very important to pay attention to this helpless class in order to achieve the goals of the country’s development. Labours and Workers are the backbone of the construction and development of any country. From the construction of roads and infrastructure to the running of the industrial wheel the role of a labor cannot be denied. Without paying attention to this important component of the society, the goal of development and prosperity is impossible to achieve.
