National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza Monday urged the organizations working for protection of the child rights to make collective efforts to eliminate the bane of child labour.
She said that children were the hope of mankind and continuity of human species is needed to be protected from child labour and other abuses.
In her message on the Child Labour Day being commemorated today (Tuesday) throughout the globe, the speaker said that million of girls and boys in the world were engaged in child labour which deprived them from education, health and basic freedom.
She said that basic human rights conventions guarantee fundamental rights and freedom to adults and children without any discrimination; therefore, recognition of equal status to children as individuals in enjoying their fundamental rights and freedom should be ensured.
She called upon the states, organizations and individuals to accord priority and set goals and strategies and actions to improve the lives of the children and to protect them from child labour.
She said that the employment of children under the age of 14 years was a matter of great concern. She said that this is not an age to work and collect the livelihood. She said that this is learning stage for the children and to move freely to enjoy their freedom.
The speaker said that once they will get a good childhood and education they will be good citizen in future. She said that as per latest ILO statistics million of children are in labour world wide out of which large number are in hazardous work. She called for collective efforts to stop this practice.
Dr. Fehmida Mirza said that the basic aim to commemorate the child labour day to create awareness among the public that children needed quality education and proper training she called upon the parents to rekindle fond memories, create ripples in the parent-child relationship and spend time with their children to create positive memories and take part in fun activities.
The Speaker called upon adoption of benevolent and compassionate posture towards disadvantaged children so that they could have access to basic living needs rather than being forced to engage in demeaning and non-empowering jobs, early marriages, warfare and other situations impeding their growth and well being.
World Day against Child Labour today
ISLAMABAD
APP
World Day against Child Labour would be observed across the world, including Pakistan, on Tuesday to provide a spotlight on right of children to be protected from child labour and other violations of fundamental human rights.
Various organizations including International Labour Organisation (ILO), Pakistan would hold activities in different cities to observe the Day in a befitting manner.
An official at ILO on Monday said these will include a seminar, an exhibition, speech contests and host of other events at Federal Capital, provincial Capitals, Sukkur, Sahiwal etc. A seminar entitled – Human Rights and Social Justice, Let’s End Child Labour – would be arranged on June 12 at ILO Auditorium which would be addressed by Representative of UNICEF, Dan Rohrmann and Country Director of UNESCO in Pakistan, Ms. Kay Nagata and other experts.
A speech contest would also be part of the activity where students of different universities would compete and awarded cash prizes and certificates.
