KARACHI: Turkish actress Esra Bilgic has reposted UNICEF’s endearing post to raise her voice against child labour on World Day Against Child Labour.
Esra Bilgic aka Halime Sultan, who essays the role of Halime Sultan in historical series Dirilis: Ertugrul or Ertugrul Ghazi, reposted the UNICEF post which read: “Today we mark the World Day Against Child Labour. As the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the expected socio-economic impacts of this unprecedented crisis make children even more at risk of child labour.”
It further said: “Child labour harms the mental, social, physical and psychological development of children. It prevents them from going to school and spending time with peers, and deprives them of opportunities for play and leisure.”
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“UNICEF continues to work with partners to combat child labour. Children must be protected from abuse and neglect, they must not be robbed of their childhood,” the statement further said.
World Day Against Child Labour 2020 was observed across the globe with a focus on the impact of coronavirus crisis on child labour.
The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market shock are having a huge impact on people’s lives and livelihoods.
Unfortunately, children are often the first to suffer and the crisis can push millions of vulnerable children into child labour.
There are an estimated 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of which are in hazardous work. These children are now at even greater risk of facing circumstances that are even more difficult and working longer hours.
Esra Bilgic essays the lead role of Halime Sultan, wife of Ertugrul, in Dirilis: Ertugrul or Ertugrul Ghazi. The series and its lead characters including Esra and Engin Altan Duzyatan have won the hearts of Pakistani fans as well after it started airing on state-run TV.
According to a statement issued by PTV, the first episode of the show was viewed by millions of people across Pakistan on PTV Home’s YouTube channel.
‘Ertugrul Ghazi’ was equally popular among women, children and adults in Pakistan, which was evident from social media trends, according to a public survey.
The statement said, the number of daily phone calls, emails and other messages being received by the PTV is another proof of its popularity. The story of ‘Ertugrul’ is based on the ascendance of Muslims in the 12th Century, their quests and great deeds.
After gaining sweeping popularity in the Middle East and South Africa, the Turkish television series ‘Dirilis: Ertugrul’ had become a monster hit in Pakistan.
