'Must work together to protect children,' says Sajal Aly
"It is wrong. Child labour is wrong. It is illegal," says Angan actor
July 28, 2023
Days after the wife of Judge Asim Hafeez was accused of brutally torturing a 14-year-old domestic worker in the federal capital, Pakistan's acclaimed actor Sajal Aly has sent out a heartfelt request to protect children from being forced to perform labour and to stop torturing them.
"For the love of God, please stop torturing small children and making them work or perform labour. It is wrong. Child labour is wrong. It is illegal," the Angan actor said.
She also urged people to be proactive about reporting any child labour or abuse they encountered.
"If any of you see a small child working at [someone's] home or outside, or see them being tortured, report it. Immediately. Report it to the local authorities."
The Sinf-e-Ahan starlet added that people must work together to pressure the authorities and protect children.
"This is not their age to be doing labour. This is their age to be studying, playing," she said.
Sajal's video message was shared by senior actor Nadia Jamil, who also shared a strongly-worded message condemning the exploitation and abuse of children.
Taking to her official Twitter handle, Nadia wrote: "The problem is we often don't know a child is being kept as a servant/slave in a house, so there is no way to know if the child is ok, are they providing him/her with an education?
"You and [I] both know the truth. Often these tiny children are made to carry rich babies, clean rich people's homes, and serve them.
"They are beaten, starved, and deprived of an education! An education is their constitutional right and their religious right.
"Remember, poverty alleviation is not the job of innocent children. Robbing them of their childhood is criminal. Too many of our children suffer. Too many.
Let's all be part of their solution. Please. Please speak up and report people who are making children work for them."
She also commended Sajal for having a strong civic sense.
Earlier this week, reports surfaced once more that a judge's wife had subjected a 14-year-old domestic worker to brutal torture. The victim's family members lodged a complaint against the employers — who denied the accusation.
