Lahore: Punjab’s Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Minister Khalil Tahir Sandhu said the Punjab government is proactively playing its role to ensure that the menace of child labour at brick kilns must be eradicated at all costs.
He was participating in a meeting of the parliamentarians regarding brick kiln’s issues at Flatties Hotel, Lahore, on Saturday.
He said child labour is a terrible practice and is constantly on the rise in the developing countries, like Pakistan.
He said that Issues of labourers should be resolved. The government is recovering children aged up to 14 years from brick kilns. Since the passing of the Prohibition of Child Labour Brick Kilns Ordinance 2016, the government has expedited efforts towards the elimination of child labour by sealing the kilns and implicating the owners where children are working as labourers.
In the case of non-compliance with the ordinance, they were charged with the non-bail able offence leading to six months’ imprisonment, a fine of Rs 500,000, or both.
The minister said that Brick Kilns in Punjab commonly functioned 6 months in a year and there are many issues should be resolved of brick kiln’s labourers. He further stated that Child Labour is illegal under the Employment of Children Act 1991. The data compiled by the Labour Department states there is a total of 6,090 brick kilns in the Punjab and around 23,642 children lesser than 14 years old work there.
He urged on civil society that performs a positive role to support the Government for the elimination of child labour.