We need to treat all children with kindness, compassion and love. It does not cost anything. Remember what goes around comes around. What example we are making of ourselves when we treat either our own or someone else's child improperly in public or at home.

In many societies, cruelty towards adult domestic servants is inhumane and intolerable. As in the cruel incident witnessed by Dr. Effendi, when children are victimized and mistreated by heartless employers, it's a sad testament to more widespread societal shortcomings between the haves and have nots. There's however another side of this issue which is evident among educated, civilized and true khandaani families in Pakistan with strong moral values. Such families genuinely care for the welfare of their household help, which is evident when they encourage and provide education and free healthcare to their servants and their families. In a civilized and democratic society, it's the government which needs to mandate whether children should even be employed while still minors. Child labor laws need teeth and strict enforcement, which should include a ban on child laborers, whether domestic or in private industry. There needs to be more government and social incentives for these child laborers to pursue education, rather then become enslaved by cruel employers.

The children need to be protected. The families of these children need the money. Who is going to help these children and their families?

Its a bitter truth ....but the picture is deficient as avoidance from hiring young children is not the solution....their family needs money ,food and protection....If you dont hire them they will be forced to adultery,drugs,stealing and robbing...U have to improve the living standards to curb this menace........

Permanent presence of Child Labour in our Society is a miserable failure of the state. Once I saw a man beating his child apprentice in a motorcycle work shop at Mcleod road Lahore. Not more than eight years old, child was weeping and crying in pain. He had swollen lips and nose . Cruel master of his destiny was beating him with fists, thrashing him with shoes, and hitting him with handle of a hammer . I am still ashamed today , after all why I did not interfere and stop the rascal . But it is a matter of common understanding, without help of properly enacted legislation , we citizens of this homeland can do nothing except to stand and look on, such dire events . Even we can not request police to come for help. In Islamabad NIH market I take my bike for monthly repairs. Here two children are always kept as apprentice. I am a sad observer of this repulsive horror for last ten years . Usually these children work ten hours daily, from 10 AM to 8 PM, immered in grease and oil. Some times they receive slaps and verbal abuse from senior apprentice . At the leaving time they receive hundred rupees from entrepreneur for their full day's labour . All this occurs right under the nose of some principal masters of our destiny which live in their magnificent farm houses on Park Road . In Faisalabad I used to visit a tea stall near Markazi Imam Bargah ,GCU Guru Nanakpura . Here for five years I saw many kids as table service men. Tea stall worked round the clock. A child here I saw, who received a cruel beating from a customer for being late to serve. This happened at 3AM while all the city slept . Pakistan has 2.5 million children doing child labour says UNICEF. It is thought provoking and cruel statistics. But what is remedy. First of all we have to bring our birth rate to minimum. Second our state should ban child labour. Those already born children should be brought to schools . Third our civil society should come forward. It can create awareness, can collect funds and can intercept child abuse. Although some NGOs are working against child labour in our country but they have only limited success against this problem of mammoth magnitude . More activism is needed more effort is required. I wish we had some Kailash Satyarthies of ourseleves.

@Muhammad Ashtar Thank you for sharing your experiences. These are really troubling events which you or me could not stop by intervening or calling the cops. I am sure there are other Pakistanis who have a good heart like yours. I can only say that we are all in this together. As long as we are quiet, we are part of the crime. you have outlined some practical solutions that we should implement- or form pressure groups and force to government to accept.

@Simba I agree and it is a vicious circle of events which we need to put an end to. the largest resources lie with the government of Pakistan. Free and mandatory primary education for every child and better minimum wages rate, so parents do not need children to work day and night to supplement family income. if you are forced to keep a child as a servant , the best you can do is to educate him and make his future better.