Hit hard by lockdown, man puts four children on sale in Sindh

A daily wage earner in the Sujawal District in Sindh says he is forced to put his children on sale because he is unable to find work and feed his children amid the government-enforced lockdown in the province.

The federal as well as all provincial governments have enforced complete or partial lockdowns across Pakistan in an attempt to control the spread of novel coronavirus in the country.

Pannu Malah, a resident of Haq Abad Colony in Sujawal District, put his four children on his pushcart, took them to the market and put them on sale. He said that he used to sell snacks to earn a living for his family, but the lockdown rendered him jobless. He said that his children have been hungry for the last few days and he cannot see them in this condition anymore. Therefore, he said, he brought his children to the market and put them on sale.

Pannu said the poor were being ignored in the government’s ration distribution scheme. He said that Sindh government’s callousness has forced him to sell his children – two sons and as many daughters. He said that deteriorating condition of his minor children due to hunger has made him take this extreme step.

The Sindh government led by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) enforced a complete lockdown in the province more than a month ago. Amid appeals from daily wage earners and small traders to ease the lockdown, the provincial government seeks to further tighten the lockdown as the number of coronavirus cases in the province continues to rise.