Last week's Shutterstories "Shumi" has stuck with me. What a miserable life she has! 24 hours a day, seven days a week, she goes on working with no holidays or free time of her own. Trapped in a building, children like her don't have even a bed to sleep in, don't get proper sanitation facilities, and are vulnerable to being physically and sexually harassed. Just giving them some money at the end of the month does not justify all this. We are stealing their childhood and the practice is a 21st century form of slavery. It has to be stopped.

Papon Paul

University of Asia Pacific