SPARC, an NGO, organised a focus group discussion on Thursday to review the child labour situation in Pakistan and formulate some concrete recommendations for eradicating the menace. Representatives from various government departments, civil society, NGOs and media people were invited to participate in the discussion.
It was consensus among those participating in the debate that employment of children in work activities, ranging from light to hazardous forms of labour exists in a number of sectors with varying degrees of prevalence and that recent estimates indicate that around 12 million children are employed as child workers across the country. “This is a serious cause of concern as underage employment undermines a child’s physical and emotional development together with his or her chances of a brighter future,” they observed. “Despite various measures taken by the government such as enactment of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) (Amendment) Act 2012 and the Employment of Children (Amendment) Act 2011, there has been little improvement in the situation pertaining to child labour and bonded labour system,” they observed. “The current legislative setup to address child labour and bonded child labour needs to be revamped in light of various international commitments, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the ILO Conventions 138, 182, 105 and 29 regarding minimum age of employment,” they concluded.