Call to address child labour issues

LAHORE:Child rights organisations demanded the Punjab government initiate comprehensive and collaborative approach to effectively address the entrenched issue of child labour in the province. This unified appeal was voiced by Search for Justice, Children Advocacy Network (CAN), and the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) after the launch of a jointly produced situation analysis on Thursday.

Search for Justice official Qindeel Shujaat said that Punjab Child Labour Survey 2019-20, released in October 2022, indicated a disturbing trend. The prevalence of child labour among 5 to 14-year olds is 13.4 percent, while the prevalence of child labour and hazardous work among 5–17-year-olds is 16.9 percent. This reveals an alarming increase compared to the 1996 child labour survey results.

Discussing the challenges in addressing child labour issue, he emphasised the significant obstacle posed by the absence of a functional system. The situation analysis demanded consolidated laws related to child labour in Punjab and the provisions pertaining to the employment of children in various labour laws into a single comprehensive legislation.

Executive Director of Search for Justice Iftikhar Mubarik raised profound concerns regarding the substantial challenges resulting from inadequate coordination among relevant departments and authorities, impeding a comprehensive response to child labour.

Member/Commissioner of the NCHR in Punjab Nadeem Ashraf went on to highlight the document's significance, as it includes a set of concrete recommendations. The event was also attended by the representative from government departments.