Senate panel questions ministry on child domestic labour bill
Senator Khokhar observed that a law against the working of children below the age of 14 had been approved by the Cabinet Division. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday expressed displeasure over the delay in the non-issuance of a notification by the Ministry of Interior regarding child domestic labour bill despite the Cabinet Division’s approval and sought briefing from the interior and law secretaries.
The senate panel met under the chairmanship of Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar in the Parliament House. Expressing his views, Senator Khokhar observed that a law against the working of children below the age of 14 in houses had been introduced which was also approved by the Cabinet Division.
He lamented that the interior ministry had delayed the issuance of a notification in this regard and stated that the bureaucracy instead of working was making lame excuses.
Responding to Khokhar, additional interior secretary said that the Cabinet Division had sent the bill to the Ministry of Human Rights and that an advice from the Ministry of Law and Justice was needed.
He noted that the cabinet had not given instructions to the interior ministry regarding the notification.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari remarked that her ministry had sent the bill along with the cabinet’s decision to the interior ministry but the interior ministry did not work on it.
She said the Ministry of Human Rights had now prepared the notification and sent it to the Ministry of Law and Justice. Hailing the government’s move, she maintained that the bill was meant for the betterment of the children but complained that the bureaucracy was not cooperating with the authorities.
The committee chairman expressed his displeasure and suggested calling the panel’s one-agenda meeting on Wednesday (today) to seek a briefing from interior and law secretaries so that a notification for the law could be issued at the earliest.
The committee also reviewed in detail Senator Sherry Rehman private member’s bill on Torture and Custodial Death Bill 2020.
Khokhar recalled that his bill had been discussed in the previous committee meetings and added that the panel members had suggested a few amendments in it which would further improve the bill.
The committee approved the bill along with the amendments suggested by the panel members. The report of the approved bill will be presented in the Senate session.
Senators Sherry Rehman, Ayesha Raza Farooq, Shaheen Khalid Butt, Muhammad Usman Khan Kakar, Keshoo Bai, Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, additional interior secretary and other high-ranking officials attended the meeting.