One of the main victims of war and insecurity in Afghanistan are children. These oppressed citizens do hard work for various reasons, including migration, separation from family, injuries caused by unexploded ammunition, and dropping out of school.
One of those victims is a child, whose name he did not tell me. When I asked, he said frankly, “What do you want my name for?” My name is not important.” He is a child, eleven or twelve years old, with an old, faded shalwar kameez, unwashed and dusty hair, a sad face, and dry lips. In his hand is an iron can, which is the last hope of his life and survival: the Harmal can. This child is a harmal boy, a person who makes money by burning harmal to cast out the evil eye.
“Have you made your first sale yet?” I asked him. Ignoring my question, as he forcefully rotates the can of harmal in his hand so that his desire does not go out and so that his livelihood is not destroyed, he said, “Leave me alone, man. I can’t talk. I am hungry!” Hearing that, my heart sank. His face became more oppressed, his look more innocent. My heart burned!
I did not allow myself to bother him anymore. I reached into my pocket and wanted to make sure I had money with me before I called him. Then I called him and gave him some money. I could not go to another child and prepare a report. As the poet said, “Read a detailed hadith from this collection yourself!”
In the world calendar, June 12 is recorded as the World Day Against Child Labour. In the 1959 Universal Declaration of the Rights of the United Nations, it is stated that children should be protected against any form of neglect, oppression, or exploitation, and before reaching the appropriate age, they should not be allowed to be employed in work that affects their physical and mental health or education.
According to UNICEF, or the United Nations International Children’s Fund, one child out of every 100 children in Afghanistan is engaged in hard labour. Undoubtedly, the number may be higher than that. UNICEF’s first and ultimate goal is to end child labour in its various forms. But unfortunately, the Afghan Taliban regime, every day, right in front of the eyes of these international institutions, is starving the thin souls of this great global goal.
The crisis in which Afghanistan is stuck in its black hole affects both the current generation and, through the children of this country, makes its future defective. Our children today, with empty bellies and even emptier minds, sadly face a future where there is nothing to see. If this crisis gets fatter, it will lead to a thinner future.
Mohammad Azar Azarman