“The true value of a child’s life is not measured by the amount of money they can earn, but by the positive impact they can make on society.”
You may have heard about women’s empowerment, but now I want to bring awareness to “children’s empowerment”. Mufti Menk a well-known Islamic scholar and speaker from Zimbabwe once said, “always appreciate your children’s achievements, show them that it matters a lot and you care; this will help them to develop into confident adults.” (Mufti Menk is widely respected for his knowledge, wisdom, and ability to communicate complex Islamic concepts in an accessible and relatable manner.) By this statement, he also meant that appreciating your children for whatever they do will take them to higher levels. In today’s greedy society, the devil of child labour, child abuse, child violence, and child harassment is rampant, and as a girl, I feel a strong desire to empower children. Girls have faced these problems from the very beginning, but now boys are facing them too. Children aren’t getting opportunities to express themselves in front of others because their parents believe that if they say anything wrong, their respect will be lost. Parents aren’t giving their children the opportunity to express themselves, so how can they build up their confidence level? Even when they try, if they fall, there is no one to pick them up, and they remain the way they were. Children are bound within the four walls of their room, and their thinking ability becomes very weak because from an early age, their parents develop a very narrow vision in them. They develop the vision of their children stretching out only to their room, and they aren’t given the liberty to broaden their horizons. They are only familiar with a few things, so how can parents expect their children to make their name in society tomorrow? I have personally observed that the majority of people think they have to care for their child until they grow up, and then their children have to take a business stand and earn money. “Earning money” is the motive of parents for their children, as I already mentioned that greediness has overcome the minds of people. If their children want to study, they forcefully enforce the idea that they are getting older now, and they have to stand on their own. The child leaves their studies behind and focuses on how to gain profit from business. This way, they stay away from gaining the right education, leaving basic education aside. When their parents put the concept of earning money in their minds, they focus on that and even stay apart from gaining the moral values of life, discipline, and basic necessities of life.
Furthermore, these children have the idea that money is everything. Rather, parents should teach their children the main motive of their lives, which is to be a pious person, be the one to sacrifice their happiness for the betterment of society. A child is born to express themselves in front of other people, not to impress anyone. In many corners of the world, child labour is still being practiced, and they are forced into labour work from the age of 4 years. The entire economic depression of their family is carried out by the youngsters. These children also have their aims, dreams, and goals in life to be something, but this greedy society dumps their dreams like waste. In some parts of the world, when a child is continuing their studies, people think ill about their family. They believe that if they provide education to their child, no one will marry them in the future. When a child is studying, their society starts abusing them, taunting and harassing them mentally, making them prone to mental abnormalities, and then the child stops seeking further education. Some people need excuses for the same. Humanity has now fallen into lament by observing such shameful ideologies of people. People have silenced the voices of children, locked them within the four walls of their room, and haven’t allowed them to speak. It doesn’t mean that they can’t speak or that they don’t experience anything.
Bottom line: Empowering children is crucial for building a better future. When children are given the opportunity to express themselves and explore their potential, they are more likely to become confident adults who can make a positive impact in society. It is essential to prioritize children’s education and well-being over the pursuit of money and material possessions. By investing in children’s growth and development, we are investing in a brighter future for everyone. Let us work together to empower children and create a world where they can thrive and reach their full potential. “Childhood should be a time of growth, exploration, and imagination, not labor and exploitation.”
(The author a student by profession is a resident of Housing Colony Ompora Budgam. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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