SRINAGAR – A series of seminars to educate citizens on the menace of child labour were conducted across Pakistan June 7-12 by the Society for the Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) to mark World Day against Child Labour.
Posters, banners and other publicity materials were displayed and readily distributed informing people on the reality of the problem and the need to formulate a solid policy to put an end to it.
Thousands of children across Pakistan work in hard, sometimes dangerous, conditions to earn money for their families. They labour in factories, brick kilns, car shops, hotels, roadside restaurants and as domestic help.
“It is imperative for the government to implement laws that ban children from working under [dangerous] conditions and [below] a certain age”, said SPARC Executive Director Qindeel Shujaat. “Society also needs to be made aware that child labour is not an answer to the problem of poverty”, he added. Other rights groups advocate making primary education compulsory in the country.
“Punjab announced a major project for eradicating bonded labour in brick-kilns across Punjab at a cost of US$1.5 million", said Punjab government Labour Secretary Abdul Rauf Khan. "Around 11,000 children of brick-kiln families will be provided education through this project and the kilns will be provided interest free small loans to eliminate their debts." Additionally, the Pakistan government has initiated other protection programmes and has, with the help of international agencies, succeeded in removing nearly 93 percent of the child labour from the football manufacturing industry of Sialkot. Their support was instrumental in having more than 70,000 children removed from illegal work environments.
While that is a substantial number, according to UNICEF statistics an estimated 218 million children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labour around the world.
In addition, a SPARC report titled “The State of Pakistan’s Children 2008” released on June 12 states that 6,780 cases of violence involving sexual abuse, targeted murders, abductions, forced labour, suicides and child trafficking were reported during 2008.
Posters, banners and other publicity materials were displayed and readily distributed informing people on the reality of the problem and the need to formulate a solid policy to put an end to it.
Thousands of children across Pakistan work in hard, sometimes dangerous, conditions to earn money for their families. They labour in factories, brick kilns, car shops, hotels, roadside restaurants and as domestic help.
“It is imperative for the government to implement laws that ban children from working under [dangerous] conditions and [below] a certain age”, said SPARC Executive Director Qindeel Shujaat. “Society also needs to be made aware that child labour is not an answer to the problem of poverty”, he added. Other rights groups advocate making primary education compulsory in the country.
“Punjab announced a major project for eradicating bonded labour in brick-kilns across Punjab at a cost of US$1.5 million", said Punjab government Labour Secretary Abdul Rauf Khan. "Around 11,000 children of brick-kiln families will be provided education through this project and the kilns will be provided interest free small loans to eliminate their debts." Additionally, the Pakistan government has initiated other protection programmes and has, with the help of international agencies, succeeded in removing nearly 93 percent of the child labour from the football manufacturing industry of Sialkot. Their support was instrumental in having more than 70,000 children removed from illegal work environments.
While that is a substantial number, according to UNICEF statistics an estimated 218 million children aged 5-17 are engaged in child labour around the world.
In addition, a SPARC report titled “The State of Pakistan’s Children 2008” released on June 12 states that 6,780 cases of violence involving sexual abuse, targeted murders, abductions, forced labour, suicides and child trafficking were reported during 2008.
source: http://www.centralasiaonline.com
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