The Tayyaba torture case not only highlighted loopholes in Pakistan’s judicial system but also made the chief justice of Pakistan encourage NGOs and human rights activists to come up with plausible solutions to the menace of child labour by taking suo motu action.
This was stated during a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Saturday by lawyers from the AGHS Legal Aid Cell who assisted renowned lawyer Asma Jahangir in Tayabba’s case.
Lawyer Noor Ejaz Chaudhry said that was currently no law in Pakistan to protect the rights of child maids. “There is no protection for children working as domestic labourers under the law in Pakistan. These children are often subject to abuse, trafficking, harassment, intimidation, and many do not go to school,” Noor added.
Speaking at the occasion, lawyer Namra Gillani urged for the regulation of law regarding penalties for employing a child. “The penalty for pledging children must be revised – a parent who agrees to pledge a child and those who employ a child whose labour has been pledged only face a fine of Rs 200. This law is outdated and does not act as a deterrent,” she said.
Discussing the Tayyaba torture case, lawyer Ayesha Malik told the journalists and activists that in Tayyaba’s case, a main issue which was brought to the fore was the role of intermediary agents who charge employers’ high fees of which a small sum is given to the parents in exchange for arranging their child’s employment.
These agents often mislead the parents when their real aim is to exploit the child.
