ISLAMABAD:
Speakers at a conference on Tuesday lamented that Article 35 of the Constitution protects the rights of all children in Pakistan, however, only those born wealthy are given their due rights.
The crowd was informed that a large number of children in Pakistan are victims of child labour, which deprives them of a childhood and is harmful for their physical and mental development.
The seminar was held in connection with the World Day Against Child Labour at Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA).
The event was organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), in collaboration with International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Federal Ombudsman.
Participants were informed that approximately 168 million children globally, aged between 5 to 17 years are engaged in child labour and around 150 million of them are below the age of 14.
According to estimates, every fifth household in Pakistan employs children as domestic employees and a majority (62 per cent) of them are girls. An estimated nine to 12 million children live on the streets of Pakistan’s major cities.
