Abolishing bonded labour: ‘Set up bonded labour commissions’

Participants at seminar speak of need to review failing strategies.

LAHORE: National and Provincial Commissions on Bonded Labour should be made to monitor the progress on eradicating bonded labour, participants at policy seminar demanded on Friday.

The seminar Legal Reforms on Bonded Labour was organised by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) in collaboration with Actionaid and European Union.

The participants also demanded that temporary shelters be provided to release bonded labourers in Punjab.

SPARC National Manager Kashif Bajeer said the departments concerned were not implementing the Bonded Labour System Abolition (Amended) Act 2012. “District Vigilance Committees (DVCs) have been established in some districts in the Punjab but these committees are inactive and unaware of their responsibilities,” he said.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MPA Sajida Mir promised to move a bill of motion on issues faced by brick kiln workers, including the non-implementation of the minimum wage of Rs665.70 per 1,000 bricks, the non-issuance of social security cards and inactive DVCs in the province. “The law was enacted for the poor… this is why elitist parliamentarians are not interested in their implementation,” she said.



She said Article 3 and 25-A of the Constitution ensure tfree and compulsory education for the children till the age of 16. “If the government implements these regulations, bonded labour will end,” she said. She blamed the poor economy of the province as the reason for the prevalence of bonded labour.

Justice (retd) Munir Ahmad said a computerised database of bonded labourers should be prepared in the province. He said the social audit of production units should be compulsory. He said judicial magistrates should be empowered and trained to implement this law.

ILO Country Director Binyameen termed it necessary to share best practices with each other. He appreciated the provincial government for establishing literacy centres at brick kilns and allocating Rs10.4 million for the welfare of brick kiln workers.

Actionaid Islamabad representative Qasier Khan said 74 per cent of the work force was employed in the informal sector. He said all stakeholders should be consulted before moving any legislation.

Human Rights Commission for Pakistan (HRCP) general secretary IA Rehman said about 20 years have passed since the government passed the Bonded Labour Abolition Act-1992 but there had been no concrete progress.  “There is a need to review our strategies to implement the law,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 8^th, 2012.