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Child protection: Working children being

enrolled
By Our Correspondent
Published: August 19, 2016
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The participants also discussed matters related to third party validation (TPV) of the child labour
survey at brick kilns, enrolment of children of brick kiln labourers and issuance of Khidmat
Cards. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE

LAHORE: Labour and Human Resource Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said on Thursday the
provincial government was determined to curb all kinds of child labour.

The Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Ordinance, 2016, will be enforced in its
letter and spirit, the minister said while chairing the second meeting of a steering committee,
formed by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, to check child labour at auto workshops, hotels and
restaurants, petrol pumps and service stations.

Sarwar said the children rescued from child labour at such places were being enrolled at schools.
Their families would be provided financial incentives and stipends, he said. Committee Co-
convener Zahid Saeed, the chief secretary, approved recommendations to delegate inspection
powers to the DCOs and DPOs. Assistant commissioners (ACs) and sub-divisional police
officers (SDPOs) would have similar powers at tehsil level to monitor those employing children
in the aforementioned sectors.

Once a notification is issued in this regard, the inspectors consisting of DCO, DPOs, ACs and
SDPOs would start inspecting auto workshops, petrol pumps, service stations, hotels and
restaurants across the province.

Labour Secretary Suhail Shahzad briefed the participants about the enforcement plan. He said the
Labour Department, in collaboration with the Bureau of Statistics, had conducted a Provincial
Child Labour Survey in this regard.

In the first phase, data has been collected about children, between five and 14 years of age,
working in 10 districts. The districts are Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad, Okara,
Sheikhupura, Rahim Yar Khan, Khanewal, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Multan.

The secretary said there was a proposal to pay Rs2,000 to the parents of children at the time of
their enrolment at schools. Rs2,000 a month would be given to the children who would continue
their studies, he said.

The adolescents identified in the survey will be enrolled at vocational training institutes of the
Punjab Vocational Training Council (PVTC) and the Technical Education and Vocational
Authority (TEVTA) under the Literacy-cum Skills Training Programme. They will be enrolled in
the evening shifts so that the might continue to work during the day. Appropriate jobs will also
be provided for them, the secretary said.

Project Director Saeed Ahmad Wattoo said the second phase of the survey in 13 districts was
almost complete. The third and final phase in the remaining 13 districts will be completed by
September 15.

The participants also discussed matters related to third party validation (TPV) of the child labour
survey at brick kilns, enrolment of children of brick kiln labourers and issuance of Khidmat
Cards.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19th, 201

 Punjabs war on child labour
Home / Today's Paper / Opinion / Punjabs war on child labour
By Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif
February 24, 2016
Print : Opinion

A societys moral health is gauged by the kind of treatment it metes out to its women, the elderly
and children. Children form the most vulnerable group, most likely to be exposed to exploitation
and abuse.

Children are the architects of the future and thus their physical, emotional, and psychological
welfare should be on the top of the public policy agenda. This responsibility is sanctioned by
religious injunctions and the constitution of Pakistan. It is unfortunate that successive
governments have remained negligent on this count and the child rights agenda could not get the
policy focus it deserved. The fact that Pakistan is ranked among the countries with the highest
ratio of children being out of school is a slap in our face as well as a reason to accelerate the pace
of policy reforms.

In Punjab, we have embarked on the mission of eradicating child labour from the province. It is
my personal resolve that I will not rest till the last child engaged in child labour goes to school.
No one can be allowed to mortgage the future of the nation. Provision of education to children is
a national objective and a sacred responsibility, for which my government has allocated millions
of dollars.

Allow me to say in no uncertain terms that there is a strong and unwavering leadership
commitment to the eradication of child labour and the mainstreaming of the child rights agenda.
In line with the UN Conventions on child rights, Pakistans constitution and as part of our GSP+
commitments, my government has launched a comprehensive roadmap encompassing legislative,
political and legal reforms. This roadmap constitutes an institutional response to the scourge of
child labour.

The cabinet has, in principle, approved the Punjab Restriction of Employment of Children Bill
2015. After enactment, it will prohibit the employment of children under fifteen years of age.
The law is in compliance with the ILO convention on the worst form of labour.
Brick-kilns represent a chronic sector employing children. The Punjab government carried out a
survey last year to determine the number of out-of-school children. The survey identified about
23,642 at more than 6,000 kilns.

The government adopted a two-pronged strategy characterised by a combination of special

incentives and enforcement of laws to check the child labour.

The soft campaign for enrolment of children in schools resulted in 90 percent admissions
followed by the promulgation of the Punjab Prohibition of Child Labour at Brick Kilns
Ordinance 2016. The key feature of the ordinance is that the kiln owner has been made
responsible for any occurrence of child labour in the entire brick kiln making value chain.

As of January 31, 2016, 3474 inspections were carried out across Punjab. During these
inspections, 600 cases were registered against kiln owners employing children; 678 owners and
managers were arrested and more than 200 brick kilns were sealed for violation of the law.

The enforcement of anti-child labour law is being augmented by a special support package for
children working at the brick kilns. The package includes provision of free uniform, books, bags,
shoes, a monthly stipend of Rs1000 per student, an allowance of Rs2000 per family on
enrolment of their children in schools and an annual allowance of Rs2000 per family on the
retention of children in schools.

The Punjab government has also started android-based inspections in all the established
industrial estates. During the last three months, 1261 inspections were conducted in which 27
cases of child labour were identified. This was followed by initiation of legal proceedings against
the violators.

I understand that complex socio-economic issues and poverty are at the heart of the phenomenon
of child labour. The experience of developing countries suggests that apart from regulatory
enforcement, policy actions on social protection, free education, skill training and decent work
help in the reduction of child labour. My government has carried out affirmative actions on these
fronts.

Social protection: The Social Protection Authority has started making direct cash transfers to the
vulnerable groups.

Access to education: Provision of free and compulsory education is mandatory under the
constitution of Pakistan, a task being vigorously pursued at the governmental level. Regularly
bimonthly stock-takes are taken to monitor enrolment and retention of students.

Skill training: The Punjab government has planned to impart technical and vocational training to
two million youth by 2018. More than 350,000 youths were provided skill development training
last year so that they can find better employment opportunities.
Decent work: The government of Punjab is implementing plans under the Punjab Growth
Strategy framework for the creation of quality jobs aimed at encouraging parents to send their
children to acquire education instead of condemning them to child labour.

I believe that awareness about child rights is critical to our efforts aimed at eliminating this
scourge from the society. The media has its work cut out for itself in this regard. The public and
private sectors need to come together on the shared agenda of ridding our country of the menace
of child labour and educating the most vulnerable section of society. I have no doubt that if there
is political will, no challenge is too daunting to be surmounted.

The writer is the chief minister of Punjab.

Twitter: @CMShehbaz

Facebook: facebook.com/shehbazsharif