Welfare: 945 child labourers start education, skills training

The minister says 257,000 children aged from five to 13 years would complete their primary education

LAHORE: The Elimination of Child Labour project has been launched in Sialkot.

The project will eradicate child labour in auto workshops, petrol pumps and service stations, hotels and restaurants across the district.

A baseline survey done by the Bureau of Statistics had found 945 children employed in these sectors in the district. Of these, 875 were between nine and 14 years old. They were enrolled in non-formal basic education centres. The other 70, between 14 and 18 year-old, were enrolled in skill development programmes at training institutes of the Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC).

The project has also been started in Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Okara, Khanewal, Multan, Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalnagar and Dera Ghazi Khan districts.

Speaking on the occasion, Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said Sialkot was selected because of the global recognition of its export industries. He said the government was committed to making the province a child labour free zone.

The minister said 257,000 children aged from five to 13 years would complete their primary education and 118,000 aged from 14 to 18 years would gain literacy and skills training under the project. This would benefit around 100,000 families, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 27^th, 2016.