Joint efforts stressed for kiln workers’ welfare

LAHORE: The brick kiln workers are crumbling under the burden of existence as they represent a group of persecuted people facing cultural, social, economic and political marginalisation sans any support networks to bring them out of the quagmire.

Once in the debt bondage system, their rights become negotiable. Putting children to work becomes necessary to earn the right to survive. Debt bondage initiates a cycle of debt. Child workers as individuals are initiated into a life of debt and slavery. A mantle they take on as adults. These views were presented by Muhammad Vaqas Ali, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, at Forman Christian College at a talk titled "An examination of Hidden Hazardous Child Labour in the Brick Kiln sector of Pakistan as a complex human rights issue."

Joseph Sun (Vice Rector of Centre for Public policy and Governance), Mathew (Professor of Religious Studies), Dr Julia (Sociology Department), Dr Saeed Shafqat (Director of Centre for Public policy and Governance), Faculty of Centre for Public Policy and Governance and a large number of students attended the talk.

He said, “According to ILO report of 2013, no real estimates about the child labour (Since it is a hidden population), 60pc of the children had never attended school and more than 50pc had started working between the ages of 8 – 10 years. According to another report, in the previous month, 95pc children experienced exhaustion, 87oc minor injuries and 77pc pain in the body. In the previous year, more than 50pc had experienced respiratory or stomach problems and 70pc experienced headaches and fever and 42pc were anaemic. Psychological conditions (compared to controls) were lower self-esteem, stress, low sense of agency, feelings of helplessness (control over environment), and emotional issues, less satisfaction with the social environment and less time for leisure.”

He said, “Our findings show that child workers in brick kilns do not have the basic rights as they have right to life, but they do not have the “Freedom of Physical Integrity”. They have no proper nourishment and exposed to hazardous work and threat of injury or violence. They have freedom of expression but do not have “Freedom of Thought and Emotions”. They do not have education and cultivation of thought and reason. They have fear, stress and despondency that hamper emotional growth.”

They have freedom of association, but do not have “freedom of an adequate social existence”. They are facing social, political, economic and legal isolation. They have freedom of movement and pursue goals but do not have “Adequate Control over Environment”. They cannot move freely because of debt, seek alternative employment and escape poverty, he added.

He lamented, “During my research work I have questioned two child workers (male), two adult women workers, six male adult workers, four male kiln owners, two male NGO workers, two male Labour Department Officials (17 grade and above) and two male Labour Union Officials near Sheikhupura and Kasur. According to the workers, not a single government official has ever visited their brick kilns in a life time. NGO workers come and after their project, they leave us. Meanwhile, government appreciates the NGOs and NGOs praises government. On the other hand activists and civil society do not have that strong networking at the grass root level and they cannot monitor their daily struggles.”