Underage employment: Provincial survey, bill on the cards

Seminar held to observe World Day against Child Labour

ISLAMABAD: A bill restricting the employment of children is yet to be passed by the Punjab Assembly, informed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Marry Gill at a seminar observing World Day against Child Labour on Tuesday.

Speaking as a panel member, she said the Punjab chief minister has given six months to ensure enrollment of all children till the primary level. If parents are found violating these directives, the government will not consider them eligible for any incentive as a penalty.

Answering a question about steps taken by the Punjab government on the issue, Gill said a provincial survey will be carried out next year, for which a budget of Rs123 million has been set aside.

The event ‘Yes to Quality Education – No to Child Labour’ was co-organised by the federal ombudsman,  Unicef and the International Labour Organisation.

Federal Ombudsman Salman Farooqi, Kyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mehtab Abbasi and Unicef Child Protection Specialist Sarah Coleman participated in the event. National Committee on Child Labour member Feryal Gauhar , who moderated the event, pointed out that as per recent surveys, around 1.2 million children live on the street in major cities of Pakistan. “Around 9 million children are in the labour force in Pakistan and we are all guilty of allowing this travesty” she said.

Pakistan Peoples Party MNA Shehnaz Wazir Ali said the issue should be tackled at the district level, and proposed that district health, education and child welfare boards should be established.

She said efforts taken at the national or provincial level are often rendered ineffective due to cumbersome bureaucratic procedures.

A member of Unicef’s child protection association, Sohail Abassi, highlighted legislative loopholes against child labour in Pakistan. He said currently the law defines the phenomenon in context to children aged 10 to 18 years leaving younger ones legally unprotected against any law.

Talking about the de-radicalisation programme for the youth  affected by conflict in the tribal areas, the K-P governor said in his keynote speech that a majority of terrorist organisations brainwash boys as young as 14 for suicide bombings. “In order to tackle this, the provincial government is aiming to enroll 10,000 children in de-radicalisation centres,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 18^th, 2015.