Making headway: ‘K-P passed 12 labour rights laws’
ILO country director says Pakistan making progress in cause against child, bonded labour.
ILO country director says Pakistan making progress in cause against child, bonded labour. PHOTO: AYESHA MIR/EXPRESS
PESHAWAR:
Pakistan is making considerable progress in the cause against child and bonded labour and achieving gender equality at workplaces. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa alone has passed 12 laws in this regard and is working towards their implementation.
This was said by International Labour Organization (ILO) Pakistan Director Francesco d’Ovidio. Speaking to the journalists at a hotel in the city on Monday, he said there are a total of eight fundamental ILO conventions, all ratified by Pakistan. The ILO director, whose four-year stint in the country is ending soon, said the biggest challenge for K-P is the lack of employment opportunities.
“Pakistan is one of the first countries in the world to adopt the decent work agenda programme,” said the director.
According to d’Ovidio, the agenda consists of four strategic objectives – creating jobs, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protections and promoting social dialogue.
“This is a very good start,” he said. “We are now ending the second generation of the decent work programme which ran from 2010 to 2015. Assessment is under way to extend the programme to 2016.”
The director said the federal ministry for overseas Pakistanis and human resource development has taken solid steps to ensure the country complies with international labour standards.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2015.
Pakistan is making considerable progress in the cause against child and bonded labour and achieving gender equality at workplaces. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa alone has passed 12 laws in this regard and is working towards their implementation.
This was said by International Labour Organization (ILO) Pakistan Director Francesco d’Ovidio. Speaking to the journalists at a hotel in the city on Monday, he said there are a total of eight fundamental ILO conventions, all ratified by Pakistan. The ILO director, whose four-year stint in the country is ending soon, said the biggest challenge for K-P is the lack of employment opportunities.
“Pakistan is one of the first countries in the world to adopt the decent work agenda programme,” said the director.
According to d’Ovidio, the agenda consists of four strategic objectives – creating jobs, guaranteeing rights at work, extending social protections and promoting social dialogue.
“This is a very good start,” he said. “We are now ending the second generation of the decent work programme which ran from 2010 to 2015. Assessment is under way to extend the programme to 2016.”
The director said the federal ministry for overseas Pakistanis and human resource development has taken solid steps to ensure the country complies with international labour standards.
The ILO director maintained women employment rate is less than 10% in Pakistan and training centres are required to make more women part of the workforce. “Punjab government has launched a large campaign against child labour. K-P should follow and initiate a similar project,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2015.