Labour dept Rawalpindi crackdown to curb child labour

RAWALPINDI: In a bid to eradicate child labour, the Labour Welfare Department of Rawalpindi Division launched a crackdown.

During the crackdown, the Labour Welfare Department of Rawalpindi Division registered seven cases against the employers while some 1,800 children under 15 years of age were also inducted to different private schools.

Children who live below the poverty line or are orphans are usually forced into child labour, however, the  district administration has started to fine some Rs50,000 against such employers who employ under age children at their workplaces. Up to seven cases have been registered up till now.

Furthermore, tea-stalls, auto workshops and restaurant owners as well as other vendors have been warned that strict action would be taken against them if they employed children under the age of 15 and violated the child labour law.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Labour Welfare Department has given parents the offer to pay a monthly fee of just Rs550 in return for admitting their under age children in Grade I to Grade V in any private school along with the free provision of books and school uniform.

Labour Welfare Department Director Fazal Hussain said that the department was making serious efforts to curb child labour. However, he admitted that the children belonging to families facing financial strains were usually victims of child labour.

He added that some parents show have given negative feedback regarding the initiative, however, the Labour Welfare Department will not stop the mission of eradicating child labour.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2019.