As a nation we are afflicted with the notion that the domestic help we hire are our slaves and treat them in any manner we want. Recently; I came across a piece on the Dawn News website mentioning about a 14 year old girl working as a domestic help in Lahore being subjected to torture by her employers. They shaved her head and was burnt alive after being doused with petrol. She was moved to the burns ward of Mayo Hospital where she is undergoing treatment.

   It is one of many sad incidents that occur on a daily basis, and are not a source of much surprise or shock. For me this kind of physical abuse and brutality towards our domestic help is unbelievable. And this problem exists irrespective of age and is rife in our society. Whether it is men, women or children hired as domestic help there is always a tendency to abuse them verbally and physically. These young boys, girls hired as help in our homes, are grossly underpaid. They are in majority cases denied the right to basic necessities of life. It is child labour and a crime in every given way. These children are treated as dirt by the majority of us, abused, seen as downtrodden and looked with contempt. Is there any realization that we could also have landed in their place and be treated in exactly the same way as we are treating them? Just because we are well off doesn’t mean we can use it as a pretext to demean them?  Is this racist outlook towards these children and our dastardly treatment justified?

These young kids are forced to work in our homes due to abject poverty and to support their ailing families. They act as a helping hand so the money they earn can go towards meeting their family expenses. As per my knowledge, a number of laws do prohibit child labour in Pakistan. As in most cases, the law is hardly followed or implemented in any sense of the word. Its mere existence is enough for the government and no outright action has ever been initiated to put these people behind bars. The practice continues unabated in the absence of any stringent checks. These poor kids form the backbone of our nation, they are our future.  The government sits silently, refusing to address this malice in our society and taking stringent steps towards eradicating it. It is the duty of those who are affluent in our society to support these kids education working in our homes and offices.

 All children need encouragement, made to realize and understand the significance of gaining education. The benefit that it offers is; knowledge and learning. Helping them with their education can inspire them into becoming politicians, economists, doctors and engineers. They can be a vehicle for change in our country. If affluent people take out Rs 1,000 a month for causes like The Citizens Foundation (TCF) which amounts to Rs 12,000 a year. It’s equivalent to a year’s education for one child!  For our own children, we would pay a fee of Rs 8,000-12,000 a month to educate them in one of the elite private schools in our city. Can’t we as responsible citizens act collectively and start raising the equivalent amount for causes like the TCF?  Is Rs 12,000 a year not affordable for us? Imagine this scenario, for every kid being supported by our affluent households we could herald an education revolution in our country. It could act as an engine for growth and progress in the future. I know it sounds like an improbable task, but my belief is, with the right initiatives this goal is very much achievable.

Emotions are meant to be embraced and felt to understand the depths of it. Emotions have a wide array of features, they induce the mind with feelings that can be positively exciting and negatively taxing. Emotions are a part and parcel of our daily lives and it can be very difficult at times to detach from them. They ensure and are a broad indicator of the fact that we are humans and not mechanized robots.

   In times of depravity, darkness and full of sadness; emotions are what that keep us alive and kicking. Emotions vary from person to person, some believe     in showing them outright and others shun from revealing them, a typical human trait. Emotions can be taxing for a human mind, but at the very same time it can be a stress reliever too! At times we hear people saying that those who embrace emotions are nothing but fools. Are we supposedly going to take other people’s views and judgements into account and does it even count? The majority including me, take the judgement of others as a benchmark and give it a lot of significance. Are we in any way, liable to explain the reasons for our emotions and feelings to others, are we being influenced by their take on us? Is it worth our while, to think and stress ourselves over our emotions, where we went wrong etc.

    There is a considerable debate over whether emotions should be controlled in ‘certain’ circumstances or situations or whether should we exercising more restraint in showing them. Does practicality suffice more over emotions when making critical decisions? Should emotions only drive our entire lives? It is a very difficult notion to apprehend about because it entirely depends on each individual’s nature and the circumstances and position they are in and emotions differ at every stage of life. A critical decision made purely based on emotions does backfire mostly, and alternatively a more pragmatic and practical approach would be more suited to the current scenario and eventually prevail.

    Emotions can make us weak and more prone to being misused and end up being disappointed. Emotions can never be measured or benchmarked and its calculated use is nigh impossible. Emotions should never be suppressed entirely, it cannot be sub-planted with something different because it is a part and parcel of human nature. Emotions in relationships can be challenging, whether it is with friends, siblings or cousins. Managing emotions is an uphill task and something which is difficult to control at times. Emotions have their peaks and troughs, they have to be counterbalanced with reality and a more practical approach towards dealing with certain situations. Circumstances can drive our emotions and influence the way we act, behave and conduct ourselves. To sum it up, emotions are a necessity; period!