Child labour: Notices issued to federal, provincial govts

Petitoner Subay Khan contended that the government has turned a blind eye to the issue


Our Correspondent February 24, 2016
PHOTO: INP

LAHORE: Justice Shujaat Ali Khan of Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday issued notices to the federal and the provincial governments in connection with a petition against the provincial government’s failure to enforce laws pertinent to child labour.

The judge also issued notices to the IGP, the AGP, and Punjab Government Spokesperson Zaeem Qadri and gave them till March 30 to file their replies. Petitoner Subay Khan, who had filed the petition through Advocate Sheraz Zaka contended that the government has turned a blind eye to the issue. Khan said children had been labouring across scores of construction sites. He said this included projects such as the signal-free corridor and the Orange Line Metro Train Project that were being constructed by contractors under the oversight of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA). Khan said several underage workers had been hired across such sites to perform menial jobs. He said this not only violated the law but also compromised citizens’ fundamental rights. The petitioner said children employed across brick kilns and those begging for alms epitomised the failure of the Child Protection Bureau and the Welfare Department (CPB&WD) to fulfil its statutory obligations.  He told the court that the Employment of Children Act 1991 and the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Children Act 2004 had to be stringently enforced. Khan said the government had failed to effectively implement the provisions of the acts across the province. The petitioner requested the court to direct the government to enforce the aforementioned laws.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25th,  2016.

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