Maleeha Sikandar
Poverty is not just a word; it’s a feeling that only a poor person can understand. It is a bitter truth that they have to live with. The main cause of Pakistan’s poverty is the lack of awareness surrounding our essential rights – especially for children who are exploited and used by beggar mafias on the streets.
I reached out to some homeless people, which included a young girl who often sold flowers near a traffic signal. She told me that she got married when she was 16; she is now 18. “My husband and I sell flowers in order to make a living.” When I asked her where she lived, she said it was in the slum opposite the Emporium Mall.
Walking onwards, I came across a little boy who asked me for some money. I asked him whether he went to school or not. He said he did not. When I asked him why, he replied that his family was very poor and they could not afford school expenses.
When I asked him if he would consider going to a government school as public education is free, he said that his father said not to waste time in school. “My father said that I should make money alongside him. We are not made for schools.”
I felt sorry for him since he does not have any hope in his life, except to depend on begging or doing odd jobs. To end poverty, it is the responsibility of the state to ensure that homeless people are given proper facilities and shelter, as well as proper education in order to restart their lives. It must also ensure that children, who are forced into begging due to their circumstances, are provided shelter, education to ensure that they can make a living later on in life.
