Letters To The Editor


“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” –Winston Churchill



Eliminating and preventing child labour

Child labour continues to be a concern in this day and age but because of the efforts of labour groups, governments, companies and ordinary people like you and me, the number of companies employing children is going down. What can be done to stop child labour completely? How can we, as civilisations, come together and solve this injustice being done to our young generation? There are many ways to help and every action that discourages this inhuman practice, no matter how small, will go a long way. Consumers nowadays have very powerful voices. Negative consumer feedback and bad publicity – companies avoid all this. Not one organisation wants to be accused of employing minors as this will affect their profitability when consumers boycott their products. As a consumer, you can make sure that the products you’re buying does not employ child labour. If you’re not sure how a product was produced, you can do some research. There are many websites that give information on which companies/brands are being accused of such practices. There are also sites where you can find a list of green products and ethical companies. You can boycott these products to support companies who are making a positive move to make our world a better place. If there’s no market for the products being made by children, there won’t be any point producing them. If you’re wondering how to stop child labour the answer is simple – stop buying their products! Always remember that the consumers are the driving force of global economies. You can help drive it in the right direction – away from child labour practices. As an individual, you can raise awareness, question the stores about who makes their product, demand labelling and support products that are not violating the rules of fair trade.

Muhammad Sami,
Lahore.

When will life go back to normal?

The world is shutting down. Places that were once teeming with the hustle and bustle of daily life have become ghost towns with massive restrictions put on activities – from lockdowns and school closures to travel restrictions and ban on mass gatherings. In Pakistan and also around the globe, government officials of almost all the countries affected by the coronavirus have ordered residents to stay home, shelter in place and otherwise put their familiar routines "on pause" to help quell the spread of COVID-19. To adhere to these executive orders means staying home from work and school for weeks on end, only mingling with members of your own household, avoiding visits with family and friends, and maintaining at least six feet of space between yourself and the next person in line at the grocery store. As the streets empty and people grow increasingly homebound, one big question keeps cropping up: When will life go back to normal? The real answer is that no one knows yet, but in all likelihood, some amount of mandatory social distancing, quarantining and travel restrictions could remain in place for months to come. The exact number of months will remain indefinite until scientists can develop effective treatments and vaccines. But regardless of how the pandemic meets its eventual end, we all must now contend with the ongoing spread of the virus – and that means staying home. Because lifting restrictions too quickly could allow the virus to re-surge. Many people are still violating the lockdown and refuse to understand the seriousness of the situation. As a nation, we have to be more responsible and do as we are told by the authorities until further notice allows us to gradually go back to a normal way of living.

Arooba Elahi,
Karachi.


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