POVERTY in this country has increased alarmingly, and more than a third of the population is living below the poverty line. On the other hand, the well-to-do have seen their wealth increase manifold.

I, living in a posh area, thank the Almighty for his bounties. But this holy month got me thinking about our domestic staff and wondering how thankful they are for receiving leftover food and unwanted clothes.

Maids bring their children, particularly daughters, to help them. I was watching one such child cleaning the windows at a friend’s home when the thought struck me how we accept child labour when we are capable of doing our own chores.

Our family maid brings her two daughters aged 14 and 10. They have no choice but to work. Their younger brother, 12, works as an apprentice at a ladies tailor’s shop, while the father works long hours as a security guard. With the entire family working, they only manage to earn Rs 36,700 per month. It is heartbreaking to see that even with such tough lives, they can still smile. Washing dishes, cleaning toilets, wiping windows, mopping floors is no life for any child.

In our locality, Bahadurabad, many of us pool resources to help our maids’ children get into school after teaching them the basics. These children deserve a chance and an education. If this society is hiring children to work, the least it can do is help them toward a better future.

Sheneir Khan

Karachi

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2014