HYDERABAD: Society of Protection of Rights of Child (SPARC) National Manager Kashif Bajeer said on Thursday that the children of freed bonded labourers must be enrolled in government schools and necessary facilities should be provided to them.
Talking to the media, he informed that there were more than 1.7 million bonded labourers in agriculture sector alone whereas the number of child labourers in the country was 3.3 million according to a survey conducted in 2015.
He said that the situation of child labour in Pakistan was highly alarming with an incessant threat to the health and education of the children involved. He said that the children of labourers were deprived of education, health and hygiene. The freed bonded labourers are not being provided CNICs, birth registration certificates and voting rights, he added.
Bajeer said that the bonded labour is a reality which exists in many forms. He said that the brick kiln in and around Hyderabad will be registered soon and they will be bound to pay all the labourers according to the rules and regulations of the government.
He said that neither religion and morality nor Pakistan’s constitution allowed children and women to be subjected to forced labour and slavery.
Bajeer stated that child labour is a challenge for the Pakistani government and urged all stakeholders and media to carry out joint efforts to meet the challenge for a better future for children. He urged the government to conduct a child labour survey to measure the social, civil, political and economic settings and policies required for ensuring children’s rights in the country. He appreciated the role of media and said that they were raising the issue at local and national levels, although more efforts are needed so that the laws related to bonded labour could be implemented effectively, Kashif added.
