Child labour

THIS is with reference to the story (May 25) wherein some 12 million children are involved in some form of labour in Pakistan. Unicef estimated 10 million child labourers in 2012.

In Pakistan, the employment of under-age children in work activities, ranging from light to hazardous forms of labour, exists in a number of sectors with varying degrees of prevalence.

Recent estimates indicate that 11 to 12 million children, half of them below the age of 10, are employed as child labourers across the country.

Most of the child labour prevails in the sector of brick kiln, smuggling of goods, workshops and hotels, etc. Children are also involved in begging, tobacco processes and also a large number of them are domestic labourers in the country.

Following the 18th Amendment, child labour has become the legislative and administrative domain of provincial governments.

Moreover, under Article 25-A of the Constitution, education has already been declared a fundamental right of every individual after the 18th Amendment.

In this regard, the government can complement its efforts by increasing the minimum age of employment under the Employment of Children Act 1991 from 14 to 16 years, thereby allowing children to avail themselves of their fundamental right to free and compulsory education.

The current legislative set-up to address child labour needs to be revamped in the light of various international commitments, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the ILO Conventions 138 and 182, related to the minimum age of employment and worst forms of child labour.

Furthermore, enforcement of policy and legislative initiatives at the grassroots can be ensured by establishing a strong implementation regime. In this regard, it is pertinent to mention that the Employment of Children Act 1991 is not being enforced comprehensively owing to an inadequate administrative structure, such as the child labour inspection system. Hence it is necessary to enforce the child labour inspaction system.