Children’s rights: Child labour a common sight at Sunday Bazaars

Many children under 14 years of age work as porters at bazaars across City

LAHORE: Child labour is rampant at Sunday Bazaars across the City despite the provincial government having approved on June 30 the Restriction of Employment of Children Ordinance, 2016 that declares labour under the age of 14 years a heinous crime.

“I have been working at Sunday Bazaars for two years. I have to support my family,” Sajid, 12, told The Express Tribune at the Model Town Sunday Bazaar.

“My father is a security guard. He usually works in the night shift. He is sleeping at home,” said Sajid, clad in a worn-out T-shirt and wearing a pair of rubber slippers.



Holding a willow basket, he said he got Rs30 to Rs50 for carrying the load of a shopper. He said he earned between Rs200 and Rs300 in a 10-hour day. “I wish I could go to school and have new clothes. I also want new shoes for Eid. My family moved to Lahore from Lalamusa to earn their livelihoods. My father and I hardly earn enough to pay for food, house rent and utilities,” said Sajid looking at a toy gun held by a child accompanying a shopper.

Sajid was not the only child doing labour at the bazaar. Dozens of children of a similar age were seen transporting fruits and vegetables in willow baskets on their heads.

Mubeen, 14, said he did “odd jobs” for a local vendor during weekdays and worked with his father on Sundays. “We have to pay Rs4,000 in rent for our one-room flat in Model Town,” he said.

His father Muhammad Iqbal said he wanted to educate all his four children but they took no interest in studies. “I used to send them to a school despite my limited resources. But they did not pay attention to their studies. I then asked them to work.”



Iqbal said the district government and market committee officials sometimes barred the entry of child workers to Sunday Bazaars. He said that instead of providing for food, shelter and medical facilities the government only made tall claims of eradicating child labour. He said child labour could not be overcome unless the government supplemented incomes of parents of working children.

Imran Maqbool, public relations officer for the DCO, said the district government had been acting against child labour at Sunday Bazaars. “We will take appropriate action if some children [barred from labour] are found working at the bazaars.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2016.