Pakistan: Child Labour Day

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The International Day against Child Labour, which falls on June 12 every year, is commemorated in Pakistan and across the world with a special theme of drawing attention to the role of social protection in keeping children from labour and increasing their school enrolment. The International Labour Organisation (ILO), ahead of the Day against Child Labour, has called on governments across the world to honour their international commitments, in particular ILO Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour, ILO Convention No. 183 on the minimum age for employment, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The roots of International Day against Child Labour can be traced to the year 2002 when the ILO decided to select June 12 as a day to focus on the plight of child labourers and pressure policymakers and labour officers into eradicating child labour. Pakistan is one of the several countries that urgently need to take notice of this day. Protection against child labour is difficult to attain due to weak enforcement of laws. In addition, there also seems to be an utter lack of concern by the authorities whose responsibility it is to ensure that child rights are protected. According to the National Child Labour Survey 2013, approximately 3.3 million children below 14 years are working as labour in Pakistan. This includes both boys and girls — boys form 73 percent and the girls 27 percent of the child labour.

It is not that Pakistan does not have laws against child labour. It is, again, a problem of implementation and enforcement. We have several laws in place such as the Factories Act of 1934, which prohibits any child younger than 14 to work in a factory. Even if a child does take up employment after meeting the age requirement, he or she first has to be deemed physically fit for work: “A certifying surgeon shall, on the application of any child or adolescent who wishes to work in a factory, examine such person and ascertain his fitness for such work.” Furthermore, the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act says no children shall work between 7:00 pm and 8:00 am, yet we frequently see children chasing after cars urging people sitting inside to purchase flower bracelets and garlands at all hours of the day.

The abuse of these laws is committed by people in several industries but also by those who are aware of the child labour factor in society. Unless there is a major crackdown by the government, the courts and NGOs against child labour on those violating child rights, it will be an extremely tricky task to eliminate child labour in Pakistan.