DURING a recent visit to a shopping mall, I observed a young girl in her early teens struggling to manage a stroller while holding shopping bags and trying to calm down an irritable infant. Her appearance and body language made it evident that she was not a family member. She was a domestic worker entrusted with the care of a child. What was more unsettling than the scene itself was how routine it appeared to those around her.
It has become increasingly common, particularly in affluent households, to employ underage girls as live-in nannies.
These children who should be attending school and experiencing the joys of their own childhood are instead burdened with the emotional and physical labour of raising other people`s children. The irony is difficult to ignore: many of these families are well-educated and aware of basic child rights, yet this form of quiet exploitation continues unchecked within their homes.
This practice is often rationalised under the guise of offering shelter or support, but such justifications cannot mask the reality that children are being deprived of their own growth. Child labour, no matter how sanitised or domesticated, remains a violation of one`s fundamental rights.
It is imperative that we, as a society, confront this moral dissonance. Those with privilege must lead by example, and acknowledge that true support lies not in employing underage girls, but in empowering them through education and protection.
