KARACHI, June 13: With similar renewed pledges as of yesteryears to eliminate exploitation of child labour, their empowerment and granting them their due rights, the global Child Labour Day was observed on June 13 (CLD).
The world have been observing the day since 2002 after recognised by the United Nation.
Every year on June 12, the day brings together governments, employers and workers organisations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plights facing child labourers and measures to eliminate them.
However, despite the day being observed for almost a decade, it is the ever increasing issue in Pakistan particularly in urban areas of the country such as Karachi.
Throughout the city, a large numbers of children are engaged in paid or unpaid domestic work in homes, besides working on shops and factories on daily wages. These children are mostly vulnerable to exploitation.
Talking to Daily Times, SPARC National Head, Rashid Aziz said, “Child Labour Day objective is to eliminate the issue.” Children working as domestic servants in households are increasingly becoming victims at the hands of their employers and government should pay urgent attention to their woes, he said.
He was of the view, “From 2010 to 2013, almost 40 cases have been reported out of which around 30 children have met death and in last six months of 2013, another 13 cases have been reported out of we have lost nine more lives.”
He was of the view that, alike population census, last child labour survey was conducted in 1996 which estimated that around 3.3 million underage labourers working in Pakistan. Children working in households are currently not covered under the Employment of Children Act of 1991.
While the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports the number of child labourers in Pakistan above 12 million now, UNICEF estimates the number to be around 10 million.
According to the Child Rights Movement, approximately 9.86 million children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 are an active part of the labour force in Pakistan. Around 2.58 million of these children are aged between 10 and 14. Child Labour Act only covered formal sector, which means agriculture sector and domestic child workers do not come under this law, Aziz asserted. “Need of the hour is to introduce multi strategies to tackle the situation.”
“SPARC’s priority is to urge government to impose ban on domestic child labour as it is not only child labour but a new and modern slavery system in our society.”
Aziz further said, “Cases of child abuse and tortures have been reported too often in a last few years. “Therefore, our top priority and demand is to impose a complete ban on child domestic labour,” he said.
He urged the provincial governments to legislate on child labour laws, which should comprehensively ban underage labour in all formal and informal economic sectors.
The government should give legal status to these camps and arrange for the provision of clean drinking water, durable shelter, electricity, health and educational facilities to get freed bonded peasants.
There was no existence of Child Labour Act in Pakistan but it was copied from India in 1991, however, the need of the hour is to revise it and government should impose ban on domestic child labour, which is the worst sector against society. There is no mechanism to protect domestic child labour, he concluded.
Published by Daily Times on June 13, 2013
