End of child domestic labour: Political will needed to implement laws, educate children

LAHORE:A provincial dialogue on legal reforms to efficiently outlaw child domestic labour in Punjab was organised by Search for Justice at a local hotel here on Thursday.

Several child rights activists, including Nadia Jamil and Sarwat Gilani, Chairperson National Commission on the Rights of Child Ayesha Raza Farooq, NCHR, Member Punjab, Nadeem Ashraf, Chief Executive Idara Taleem-o-Agahi Baela Raza Jamil, actor and social influencer Zara Tareen, former MNA and parliamentary secretary Law and Justice Mehnaz Akbar Aziz, child rights expert Advocate Miqdad Mehdi and Chairperson CPWB Sarah Ahmad were the key speakers at the event while Salman Abid was the moderator.

Several key questions were raised at a conference on child domestic labour. The speakers ask if our children are second to none in our lives, how they are missing from the national discourse? Why are allocations for children in budgets negligible? Why Article 25A of the Constitution that promises free and compulsory education to all, could not be implemented ever?

NCHR member Punjab shared the findings of a survey at the conference according to which the children are working in one of every four houses in provincial capital.

Reporting of violence against children employed as domestic workers has resulted in an outcry in the society to take measures to change the system and put an end to exploitation of children. The speakers called for national, political discourse on children and national pressure groups.

There was a consensus on the necessity of mustering political will to educate the children. Every child should be in school and if we do not spend money on our children, the future of Pakistan is very bleak. At present only 1.7pc of GDP is allocated for education, which reflects how serious is our govt about the education.

Baela Raza called for mobilising youth in schools, colleges and universities to fight child labour. “In Battgram, 150 children travel on chairlifts every day to go to school. Why can’t there be a school for them where they live, she asked”. There is absence of political and bureaucratic will for education, she said and called for cluster of action.

Salman Abid, who has been reviewing manifestos of political parties for long time, said not a single political party has even a sentence in its manifesto that says something about children.

“This country needs system in which all children are protected. Different laws state different ages for children. At one place it is 14, in another law its 16 and 18. We have made our children a joke,” said Nadia Jamil who works for children in trauma. “64pc children can’t read, 88pc can’t count,” said Sarwat Gilani who works for children with special needs and 21pc of these children are doing labour.

Ayesha Raza called for amendment in PPC to make child labour non-bailable, non-compoundable offence. She stressed on the enforcement of law on the powerful and influential as well. “If you really care for children, give their parents facilities so that they can educate their kids,” she said and shared that a recent ILO survey reveals people do not believe there is any benefit in educating their children till Matric because they don’t see employment after that.