Collective commitment to protect children from abuse stressed

Islamabad : Federal Minister of Human Rights Shireen Mazari on Thursday urged for collective commitment to protect children and ensure that each child is given the opportunity to realise his or her potential.

In a statement issued on the occasion of World Day against Child Labour, the federal minister said that in memory of Zohra Shah and all other children who have been victims of abuse and exploitation, we must reaffirm our collective commitment to protect children and ensure that each child is given the opportunity to realise their potential.

Every year, the international community commemorates the World Day against Child Labour on June 12. This year, as the world confronts an unprecedented pandemic, children face an increased risk of child labour, child marriages and other forms of exploitation. The COVID-19 public health emergency has disrupted the right to education for children across the world. In Pakistan, where there is already an estimated 22.8 million children out-of-school, this is likely to adversely affect learning outcomes & exacerbate existing inequalities in educational attainment such as high female dropout rates. Projections estimate an alarming 5 fold increase in drop-out rates due to the crisis.

Child labour causes children physical, psychological, moral and social harm. There are an estimated 152 million children in child labour around the world, 72 million of which are in hazardous work. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are an estimated 8.5 million child workers in Pakistan. Child labour is most rampant in agriculture (76 %) followed by the service (14.6 %) and manufacturing (6.7 %) industries, where children work long hours and are often exposed to hazardous substances and poor living conditions.

In a recent tragic incident in Rawalpindi, eight-year-old Zohra Shah was allegedly ruthlessly killed by her employer for accidentally releasing some expensive parrots from their cage. Child domestic workers are often victims of torture, rape, murder, and other forms of abuse. Zohra’s case has prompted the Ministry of Human Rights to propose a significant amendment to classify child domestic labour as a ‘hazardous occupation’ under Schedule 1 of the Employment of Children Act 1991, in an effort to strengthen legislation pertaining to the issue.

“MoHR works on reviewing and strengthening laws and institutional mechanisms to protect child rights in Pakistan. Laws at the federal and provincial level set bans on hazardous work for children and minimum age limits for labour. Moreover, Pakistan has ratified the UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC); its Optional Protocols; and ILO Conventions related to Child Labour,” said Minister Dr Shireen Mazari. She also urged the general public to report cases on Child Labour on the Ministry’s helpline 1099.

On this occasion, Federal Secretary for Human Rights Rabiya Javeri Agha said that the Ministry of Human Rights recognises the gravity of the issue of Child Labour in Pakistan.