Another day, another war!

Challenges faced by children in Pakistan.

By Warda Malik

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
― Nelson Mandela

Indeed, a wise man, Nelson Mandela, spoke of education as a powerful weapon – A weapon which would determine our sense of security in the world out there. This is rightly the weapon which would help any child fight his war of life. Should a child be denied this righteous key to freedom and security? A child’s right makes it a state’s duty which needs to be accomplished.

Pakistan, the state of forgotten hopes and dreams, is also a home to children for whom every day of school is like diving in the sea without knowing how to swim. Pakistan has the second largest out of school population with an alarming number of 5.1 million children and a devastatingly high illiteracy rate.

Those children who have the privilege of taking this bold step are denied access to proper academic training and inadequate facilities, for example, no proper play grounds, lack of hygienic facilities in rural areas, low teacher attendance, biased administrative staff, lack of awareness on children psychology etc.

Without doubt, these naïve children suffer unfairly at the hands child-sex abuse. This problem has largely been left unchecked being regarded as a sensitive subject matter.  They are not even aware of what exactly is happening to them whereas it is the school’s ultimate responsibility to teach them on how to protect their body parts at the hands of such molesters. Shockingly, many teachers are found to be the very soul part of sexual abuse and many blackmail them to keep their mouths shut.

Truly, child is meant to learn, NOT to earn. The educational system of Pakistan is rapidly deteriorating and needs to undergo a considerable amount of development in order to polish the inner personality of a child rather than to destroy it and to make education accessible to all the children. Every one of us deserves to be given a chance. A chance for a better tomorrow. A chance that would make us believe that this world is not such a merciless place, after all.