Implementation of child labour laws urged

Collective effort by govt, civil society needed to protect children against child labour

KARACHI:

The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), organised an event to observe World Day Against Child Labour under the theme "Let's act on our commitments: End Child Labour".

The session brought together policymakers, officials, civil society, and humanitarian organizations to discuss and strategise future measures to eradicate the curse of child labour from the society.

Despite national policies, Pakistan continues to grapple with one of the highest child labour rates in South Asia.

Speakers at the session emphasised for a collective action from governments, employers, workers, and civil society to eliminate this scourge.

The detrimental impacts of child labour, including health and safety risks, disrupted education, hindered development, reduced productivity, increased crime, exploitation, damage to international image and human rights, psychological harm, impaired cognitive growth, and links to trafficking and crime, were highlighted.

Addressing the occasion, SHRC Chairperson Iqbal Ahmed Detho, emphasised the sluggish societal changes despite existing laws protecting children's rights and stressed the urgent need to address the plight of the 30,000 street children in Karachi.

Detho outlined SHRC's initiatives to integrate Human Rights education in schools, referencing Article 25A of the Pakistani Constitution on free education.

However, challenges persist in the distribution of textbooks despite Rs3 billion budgets.

He also highlighted the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act 2023 aimed to enhance child nutrition.

Present on the occasion, MQM-P MNA Dr Fozia Hameed stated that large-scale awareness campaigns are needed to combat child labour in Sindh. SPARC Board Member Gul Masoti, stressed the crucial need for effective implementation of child labour laws and shared success stories of children transcending labor through education. A professor from IBA Karachi, Dr Junaid Memon Alam, underscored every child's entitlement to education, narrating his personal journey from hardship to becoming a professor.

SPARC Advisor, Shumaila Muzzamil, encouraged children to comprehend their rights and pursue happiness.

SPARC Programme Manager, Kashif Mirza, presented a documentary on child labour, focusing on schools and drug abuse in Machar Colony.

He detailed SPARC's endeavors, including a letter to the Education Department regarding the colony's schools, and expressed solidarity with the children of Gaza, shedding light on their plight.

Initiator Human Development Foundation President, Rana Asif Habib, said that child labour acts as a barrier to children's education. He also shared his decade-long experience of working in Machar Colony and stressed the importance of treating children with dignity and compassion.

Representatives from SPARC, SHRC, and other partner organisations underscored the pressing need for tangible actions against child labour in Pakistan.