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World Day Against Child Labour today: NCRC calls for national action to resolve child labour issue

By Our Correspondent
June 12, 2022

LAHORE : The National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC), on the World Day Against Child Labour, has called for collective national action to propel this issue in the limelight so that the most vulnerable of children across Pakistan are protected from the exploitation of child labour – by law and in practice.

Although no nationwide child labour survey has been conducted since 1996, according to the Pakistan Labour Survey 2020-21, an estimated 17% of the total working age population is accounted by 10-14-year-old children, making up 26.32 million out of 159.83 million working age population. Whether employed as a farmhand, a brick kiln worker or as a domestic help, children who are engaged in child labour often experience extreme emotional, physical abuse and harms to their bodies and their minds. In nearly every case of child labour, children are set up for extreme hardship for the rest of their lives as they are stripped of their right to learn, play and experience a happy childhood. Child labour is a grave violation of children’s rights.

Chairperson National Commission on the Rights of Child, Afshan Tehseen Bajwa, expressed her deep concern about the epidemic of child labour in Pakistan, “The NCRC believes that child labour is a violation of every child's right to a safe childhood and their inalienable rights. Child labour exposes young and vulnerable children directly and indirectly to many harmful effects on their health, cognitive development and wellbeing. In the long run, it can cause them to fall prey to mental health issues, and fall into the trap of generational poverty, violence, and homelessness. There is a need for change – in policy, practice, and mindsets.

The Commission believes that enforcement of education laws is essential, and demands amendment in the Constitution of Pakistan Article 11 (3) and Provincial Labour Laws to raise the minimum age to 16 years in line with international standards and Article 25(A). While Pakistan has made uneven progress, there is a need for mass awareness campaign for parents, caretakers, and the society at large to monitor and discourage child labour -- especially at homes, hotels, and service industries. Only strong prevention strategies can help change the mindsets.

However, legislation alone is not enough to address the systemic and deep-rooted issue of child labour in Pakistan.