Like all parts of the globe, World Day Against Child Labour was also observed in Pakistan on June 12, to highlight the plight of children involved in labour.
Various organisations working on protecting the rights of children held seminars, workshops, lectures and walks to raise awareness about the rights of children.
The Child Rights Movement (CRM), national and provincial chapter, and National Action Coordination Groups (NACG) called for immediate action to allow and enable each Pakistani child to exercise their fundamental constitutional right to avail free education till 16 years of age, as described in article 25 A of the constitution of Pakistan.
In a CRM statement issued on Sunday, International Labour Organisation estimated in a 2012 survey that 12.5 million children in Pakistan are involved in child labour.
Besides, 264,000 Pakistani children are involved in domestic child labour, according to the ILO’s 2004 report. There are 8.52 million home-based workers in the country, according to the official National Policy on Home-Based Workers.
It said children in the labour environment are vulnerable to exploitation.
They demanded to amend and align child employment acts and/or relevant laws with article 25-A of the Pakistani Constitution.
They further asked for executing ILO conventions ratified by the country and arrest and prosecute all employers using child labour.
The CRM called on the government to increase budget allocations for education so that quality education can be available for all the children in the country. It also called for enacting the National Commission on the Rights of the Child Bill, so that child rights violations linked with or inherent to child labour can be monitored and addressed
The CRM said that the government should develop national and provincial child protection mechanisms to rehabilitate and support and reintegrate child labourers in the formal education stream.
The government should also develop and conduct family planning programmes and allocate relevant resources to support families living below the poverty line so that children can be sent to schools and not be involved in income generating activities.
