Child labour

The Punjab government has issued the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Ordinance, 2016, banning the employment of children and adolescents in hazardous occupations. The ordinance offers protection to children against a number of practices, including debt bondage, trafficking, forced labour, recruitment in armed conflict, prostitution, drug-trafficking and hazardous jobs. It also limits the amount of non-hazardous work that can be undertaken by 15 to 18 year-olds to seven hours a day with a mandatory one-hour interval. Although the aims set out by the ordinance are well meaning, in practice this would mean that the status quo would continue. Work hours are not logged in most of the informal sector, which is where most adolescents are employed. Until all working children are registered with labour or child welfare departments, there is little chance of concrete enforcement of child protection laws.

The ordinance reflects the grim realities of Punjab, where children are forced into the job market by impoverished parents. A complete ban on child labour would be ideal, but there is little chance of ending child labour without improving the quality of state schools and the larger health of the economy. Punishments for anyone who employs a child are still limited. The fines for prostitution and trafficking are up to Rs1 million with up to five years of imprisonment. This punishment is again rather limited, especially keeping in mind the Kasur child abuse that emerged this year. The law alone is not enough. It will need to be complemented with other initiatives. A child rights commission has been proposed in Punjab, which would be an important precedent to set for the protection of the rights of children. The Punjab government has shown initiative in fighting the plague of child labour, but it has done so with limited conviction. Earlier in January, the Punjab government raided a number of brick kilns to retrieve children working in dangerous conditions. The operation was ended after resistance from the brick kiln owners and was never heard of again. Similar resistance is expected to come up from all other industries. Will the Punjab government stick to its guns now?