Child Labour in Pakistan

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 INTRODUCTION: ...........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Definition Of Child Labour: ................................................................................................................. 5 1.2 Types Of Child Labour: ........................................................................................................................ 5 2.0 HISTORY: ......................................................................................................................................8 2.1 Global Perspective: ............................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 Pakistan And Child Labour Situation: .................................................................................................. 8 2.3 Some More Facts: ............................................................................................................................. 10 2.4 Brief About The Tradition Of Child Labour In Pakistan: .................................................................... 10 3.0 CHILD LABOUR-NOT AN ISOLATED PHENOMENON-THE CAUSES:.................................................. 12 3.1 Causes Of Child Labour: .................................................................................................................... 13 Socio-Economic Factors: ......................................................................................................................... 13 Political:................................................................................................................................................... 14 4.0 ADVANTAGES: ............................................................................................................................ 16 5.0 DISADVANTAGES: ....................................................................................................................... 17 5.1 Consequences Of Child Labour: ........................................................................................................ 18 6.0 COMBATING THE PROBLEM: ....................................................................................................... 19 6.1 Laws Regarding Child Labour: ........................................................................................................... 19 7.0 ROLES OF DIFFERENT BODIES TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM AND CERTAIN SUGGESTIONS TO THEM: ............................................................................................................................................. 22 7.1 Other Countries and Child Labour: ................................................................................................... 22 7.2 Pakistans Perspective For Child Labour: .......................................................................................... 22 7.2.1 Govt. Support And Suggestions to It: ............................................................................................. 22 7.2.2 Role of Non-Government Bodies and Suggestions to These: ........................................................ 23 7.2.3 Role of General Public: ................................................................................................................... 25 8.0 Conclusion: ................................................................................................................................ 26

Child Labour in Pakistan

1.0 INTRODUCTION1:

"The way a society treats its children reflects not only its qualities of compassion and protective caring, but also its sense of justice, its commitment to the future and its urge to enhance the human condition for coming generations." Javier Perez de Cuellar, former Secretary General of the UN

God has given human beings the bone of wisdom and discretion to think upon the signs of the universe and to draw conclusions. That is the reason why they disclose the hidden facts of it and its structure and have made remarkable progress in many walks of life. Children are the flowers of heaven. They are the most beautiful and purest creation of God. They are innocent both inwardly and outwardly. No doubt, they are the beauty of this world. Early in the morning when the children put on different kinds of clothes and begin to go to school for the sake of knowledge, we feel a specific kind of joy through their innocence But there are also other children, those who cannot go to schools due to Financial Problems, they only watch others go to schools and can merely wish to seek knowledge. It is due to many hindrances and difficulties; desperate conditions that they face in life. Having been forced to kill their aspirations, dreams and other wishes, they are pressed to earn a living for themselves and for their families. It is also a fact that there are many children who play a key role in sustaining the economically life of their family without which, their families would not be able to make ends meet. These are also part of our society who has forgotten the pleasures of their childhood. So we can say; When a child in addition to getting education, earns his livelihood, this act of earning a livelihood is called as child Labour.

Child labour involves at least one of the following Characteristics:

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Child labour in Pakistan

(Rizwan Arshad, Lahore) http://www.hamariweb.com/article.aspx?id=91

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Violates a nations minimum age laws. Threatens childrens physical, mental, or emotional well-being. Involves intolerable abuse, such as child slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labour, or illicit activities. Prevents children from going to school. Uses children to undermine labour standards.

Where Does Most Child Labour Occur?

Agriculture:
Nearly 70% of child labour occurs in agriculture, fishing, hunting, and forestry. Children have been found harvesting:

Bananas in Ecuador Cotton in Egypt and Benin Cut flowers in Colombia Oranges in Brazil Cocoa in the Ivory Coast Tea in Argentina and Bangladesh Fruits and vegetables in the U.S. Page 2

Child Labour in Pakistan

Children in commercial agriculture can face long hours in extreme temperatures, health risks from pesticides, little or no pay, and inadequate food, water, and sanitation.

Manufacturing:

Electroplate Worker:

About 15 million children are estimated to be directly involved in manufacturing goods for export, including:

Carpets from India, Pakistan, Egypt Clothing sewn in Bangladesh; footwear made in India and the Philippines Soccer balls sewn in Pakistan Glass and bricks made in India Fireworks made in China, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, India, and Peru Surgical instruments made in Pakistan

Mining and Quarrying:

Child labourers suffer extremely high illness and injury rates in underground mines, opencast mines, and quarries. Children as young as 6 or 7 years old break up rocks, and wash, sieve, and
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carry ore. Nine-year-old work underground setting explosives and carrying loads. Children work in a range of mining operations, including:

Gold in Colombia Charcoal in Brazil and El Salvador Chrome in Zimbabwe Diamonds in Cote dIvoire Emeralds in Colombia Coal in Mongolia

Domestic Service:
Many children, especially girls, work in domestic service, sometimes starting as young as 5 or 6. This type of child labour is linked to child trafficking. Domestic child labourers can be victims of physical, emotional, and sometimes sexual abuse.

Hotels, Restaurants, and Retail:

Some of the work of young people in this sector is considered legitimate, but there are indications of considerable abuse. Low pay is the norm, and in some tourist areas, childrens work in hotels and restaurants is linked to prostitution. In at least one example, child hotel workers received such low pay that they had to take out loans from their employers; the terms of the interest and repayment often led to debt bondage.

The concept of child labour got much attention during the 1990s when European countries announced a ban on the goods of the less-developed countries because of child labour e-g the boycott of Pakistani Carpets Industry being involved in the child labour activities-as small knots, used in, could not be made without the usage of the small fingers and for that children and the ladies workers were required.

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1.1 Definition Of Child Labour:

The International Labour Organization (ILO) defines child Labour as: 1- when a child is working during early age 2- he overworks or gives over time to Labour 3- he works due to the psychologically, socially, and materialistic pressure 4- he becomes ready to Labour on a very low pay.

United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund (UNICEF) defines Child

as anyone below the age of 18, and Child Labour as some type of work performed by children below age 18 (UNICEF). UNICEF defines child labour as work that exceeds a minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work. Such work is considered harmful to the child and should therefore be eliminated. Ages 5-11: At least one hour of economic work or 28 hours of domestic work per week. Ages 12-14: At least 14 hours of economic work or 28 hours of domestic work per week. Ages 15-17: At least 43 hours of economic or domestic work per week.

So generically we can define this peril as; Child Labour is generally speaking work for children that harms them or exploits them in some way (physically, mentally, morally or blocking access to education)

1.2 Types Of Child Labour:

UNICEF has classified child work into three categories:

Within the Family:

Children are engaged without pay in domestic household tasks, agricultural pastoral work, handicraft/cottage industries etc.

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Child Labour in Pakistan Within The Family But Outside The Home:
Children do agricultural/pastoral work which consists of (seasonal/ full-time) migrant labour, local agricultural work, domestic service, construction work and informal occupation e.g. recycling of waste- employed by others and self employed.

Outside the Family:

Children are employed by others in bonded work, apprenticeship, skilled trades (Carpet, embroidery, and brass/copper work), industrial unskilled occupations/ mines, domestic work, commercial work in shops and restaurants, begging, prostitution and pornography.

Migrant Child Labour:

Children migrate from the rural area to the urban or from smaller to larger towns cities either with their families or alone. They migrate either for better employment opportunities or to escape from bondage.

Bonded Child Labour:

Children are pledged by their parents, guardians to employers in lieu of debts or payment. The rates of interest on loans are so high that the amount to be repaid accumulates every year, making repayment almost impossible The phenomenon of urban child labour includes street children. These children belong to three broad categories:

a) Children on the Street:

Working children who have families but spend most of their time in streets. They earn for themselves and may or may not contribute to the family income. b) Children off the Streets: Working children who have left their families in villages or towns and have migrated
to the city.
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They do not have a place to live and hence spend their nights at the railway platforms,
bus stands etc.

They live independently and usually spend all that they earn in the same day. c) Abandoned/Orphaned Children: Working children without families or whose families have abandoned them They spend their lives on the streets without any kind of support and are hence the
most exploited and abused of the lot.

d) Invisible Child Labour: Children work in the unorganized or/and informal sector. They do not come under the purview of law They constitute a substantial proportion of the child labour in the country Most of them do not go to school

Unconditional Worst Form of Child Labour:

Child Prostitute Photo: David Parker 8.4 million Children are involved in work that, under any circumstance, is considered unacceptable for children, including the sale and trafficking of children into debt bondage, serfdom, and forced labour. It includes the forced recruitment of children for armed conflict, commercial sexual exploitation, and illicit activities, such as producing and trafficking drugs.

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2.0 HISTORY: 2.1 Global Perspective2:

Child Labour is an important and a serious global issue through which all and sundry countries of the world are directly or indirectly affected, but, it is very common in Latin America, Africa and Asia. According to some, in several Asian countries 1/10 manpower consists of child Labour. In India the number of children between the ages of 10-14 has crossed above 44 million, In Pakistan this number is from 8 to 10 million, In Bangladesh 8-12 million, In Brazil 7 million, In Nigeria is 12 million

2.2 Pakistan And Child Labour Situation:

In Pakistan children aged 5-14 are above 40 million. During the last year, the Federal Bureau of Statistics released the results of its survey funded by ILOs IPEC (International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour). The Findings were; 3.8 Million children age group of 5-14 years are working in Pakistan out of total 40 million children in this age group Fifty percent of these economically active children are in age group of 5 to 9 years. Even out of these 3.8 Million economically active children, 2.7 million were claimed to be working in the agriculture sector. Two million and four hundred thousand (73%) of them were said to be boys.

During the year 2001 and 2002 the government of Pakistan carried out a series of consultation of tripartite partners and stakeholders (Labour Department, trade unions, employers and NGOs) in all the provinces. The objective was; To identify the occupations and the categories of work, this may be considered as hazardous under the provisions of ILO Convention 182. As a result of these deliberations, a National Consensus List Of Occupations and categories of work was identified in which child labour is a common practice, and is given below:
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See for also certain Myths of Child Labour-in Appendix 2 Page 8

Child Labour in Pakistan

1. Nature of occupation-category of work 2. Work inside underground mines over ground quarries, including blasting and assisting in blasting 3. Work with power driven cutting machinery like saws, shears, and guillotines, (Thrashers, fodder cutting machines, also marbles) 4. Work with live electrical wires over 50V. 5. All operation related to leather tanning process e.g. soaking, dehairing, liming chrome tanning, deliming, pickling defleshing, and ink application. 6. Mixing or application or pesticides insecticide/fumigation. 7. Sandblasting and other work involving exposure to free silica. 8. Work with exposure to ALL toxic, explosive and carcinogenic chemicals e.g. asbestos, benzene, ammonia, chlorine, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, caustic soda, phosphorus, benzidene dyes, isocyanides, carbon tetrachloride, carbon disulphide, epoxy, resins, formaldehyde, metal fumes, heavy metals like nickel, mercury chromium, lead, arsenic, beryllium, fiber glass, and 9. Work with exposure to cement dust (cement industry) 10. Work with exposure to coal dust 11. Manufacture and sale of fireworks explosives 12. Work at the sites where Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are filled in cylinders. 13. Work on glass and metal furnaces 14. Work in the cloth printing, dyeing and finishing sections 15. Work inside sewer pipelines, pits, storage tanks 16. Stone crushing 17. Lifting and carrying of heavy weight specially in transport industry (15b kg and above) 18. Work between 10 pm to 8 am (Hotel Industry) 19. Carpet waving 20. Working 2 meter above the floor 21. All scavenging including hospital waste 22. Tobacco process (including Niswar) and Manufacturing 23. Deep fishing (commercial fishing/ sea food and fish processing 24. Sheep casing and wool industry 25. Ship breaking 26. Surgical instrument manufacturing especially in vendors workshop 27. Bangles glass, furnaces Now we can easily imagine in the light of above mentioned facts and figures how the nations future namely children are deprived of pleasures of life, ignorance has reduced their abilities of thinking right or differentiating between right and wrong, as well as their life-chances, to their non-access to education.

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2.3 Some More Facts:

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) the daily income of 65.5% people of Pakistan is below 2 U.S. dollars a day. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Report, 47 million people in Pakistan are leading lines below the line of poverty, The Social Policy Development Centre (SDPC) Karachi has stated in one of its reports that the ratio of poverty in Pakistan was 33% during 1999 that increased in 2001 and reached 38%. 22.3% in the year 2005-06. The ratio of poverty in the year 2009 is around 30%-35% (projected data)

Consider the point that if 30% of our countrys total population is leading life below the povertyline wherein the people are deprived of basic necessities of life like clothing, shelter, food, education and medication, the children of these people will be forced to become Labourers or workers in order to survive. Employers after exploiting child Labour, extract a large surplus, whereas child Labour, despite increasing poverty, unemployment and other problems, are pressed to do anything and everything for their livelihood and the survival of their families.

2.4 Brief About The Tradition Of Child Labour In Pakistan:3

Pakistans per capita real income has risen by 2.5% in 2008-09 as against 3.4 percent last year. Per capita income in dollar term rose from $ 1042 last year to $ 1046 in 200809, thereby showing marginal increase of 0.3 percent. And that's no not all, Pakistan has a traditional culture where earning of one person goes on feeding 10 mouths; and with the high rate of inflation (22.3% in 2008-09) it becomes difficult for a low income population to survive. Child labour is spread all over Pakistan but has the greatest impact in the north-west of Punjab province that is Sialkot. Pakistan has a population of 162.4 million and it is estimated to reach 167 million by the year 2010 and is an important centre for the production of goods for export to international markets, particularly sporting goods.

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/newdelhi/ipec/responses/pakistan/national.htm

http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/labourctr/child_labour/about/causes.html

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Child labour exists in Sialkot both in the export sector and the domestic sector. This fact has been well documented and reported by the international media for several years but nothing has been done about it. In 1994, exports from Sialkot brought income of almost US$ 385 million into the Pakistan economy. Sialkot is thus one of the worlds most important centers for production of sporting goods. Literacy rates form a rising time series. Overall literacy rate (56.2% in 2007-08) is higher than that of LFS 2006-07 (55%). The improvement is more for females than males and rural than Urban. The comparative surveys indicate marginal improvement in the profile of educational attainment. However, metric but less than intermediate (10%, 11%) and below metric (36%, 37%) categories improve particularly, which signifies increasing access to basic education. The labour force increases from 50.33 million in 2006-07 to 51.78 million in 2007-08. Specific activity participation between the age 10 and 14 is 13.7% (17.09% male and 9.69% female) and between 15 and 19 is 36.9% in 2007-08. The employment rate is 49.09% and unemployment rate is 5.2% or 2.69 million of Pakistan in 2007-08. The underemployment rate is 1.10%. Real GDP grew by 2.0 %in 2008-09 as against 4.1 percent last year and growth target is met 4.5%. Total expenditures are 15.8% of GDP in which defense expenditures are 4.8%, 1.4% of GNP on education, 0.5% of GNP on health, development expenditures are 4.3%, overall deficit is 4.3% and total revenue is 10.5%. 9.6% of GDP is Exports, 16.1% GDP is of Imports. 6.5 % trade Deficit of GDP. Provision for education is very limited, due to the fact that very low priority is given to education in the national budgets. Education receives around 3% of the total gross domestic product when compared to over ten times of this amount spent on military. Gender and other forms of discrimination plus adding to the lack of political will, gives the clear picture of the existence of child labour in Pakistan.

In Pakistan it is clearly documented that child labour is against the law, but the government carries lack of willingness to do anything about it.

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3.0 CHILD LABOUR-NOT AN ISOLATED PHENOMENON-THE CAUSES:

You Can Get Out Of Life Imprisonment, BUT You Can Never Get Out Of Poverty

It is true that child Labour is not an Isolated Phenomenon. It is an outcome of a multitude of Socio-Economic Factors and various Political Factors. Certain main Socio-Economic Factors include; Poverty-the root cause Lack of opportunities, High rate of population growth, Unemployment, Tradition of making children learn the family skills Absence of universal compulsory Primary education Ignorance of the parents about the adverse consequences of Child labour Ineffective enforcement of the legal provisions pertaining to child labour Non-availability of and non-accessibility to schools Irrelevant and non-attractive school curriculum Employers prefer children as they constitute cheap labour. Access to compulsory, free education is limited. Workers rights are repressed. Uneven distribution of wealth and resources, People dont have the security of social life Class-based education system Villages lack standardized education systems and as a result Child Labour is on increase in rural areas. Urbanization Orphans Outdated Social customs and norms.

The Political Factors include mainly; There is no aid plan or allowance for children in our country. The Government has not put its laws into practice to stop child Labour in our country. Existing laws or codes of conduct are often violated.
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Laws and enforcement are often inadequate.

3.1 Causes Of Child Labour:

Socio-Economic Factors: Over Population:
Most of the Asian and African countries are overpopulated. Due to limited resources and more mouths to feed, Children are employed in various forms of work. Illiteracy: Illiterate parents do not realize the need for a proper physical, emotional and cognitive development of a child. As they are uneducated, they do not realize the importance of education for their children.

Poverty:
Many a time poverty forces parents to send their children to hazardous jobs. Although they know it is wrong, they have no other alternative as they need the money.

Urbanization:
The Industrial Revolution has its own negative side. Many a time MNC's and export industries in the developing world employ wild workers, particularly in the garment industry.

Unemployment Of Elders:
Elders often find it difficult to get jobs. The industrialists and factory owners find it profitable to employ children. This is so because they can pay less and extract more work. They will also not create union problem.

Orphans:
Children born out of wedlock, children with no parents and relatives, often do not find anyone to support them. Thus they are forced to work for their own living.

Willingness To Exploit Children:

This is at the root of the problem Even if a family is very poor; the incidence of child labour will be very low unless there are people willing to exploit these children.

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Political:
Child labour persists even though laws and standards to eliminate it exist. Current causes of global child labour are similar to its causes in the U.S. 100 years ago, including poverty, limited access to education, repression of workers rights, and limited prohibitions on child labour. Some of the main causes are as follows;

Access To Compulsory, Free Education Is Limited

Approximately 125 million children in the world do not attend school, limiting future opportunities for the children and their communities. The Global Campaign for Education estimates that free, quality education for all children would cost ten billion dollars, the same as 4 days of global military spending.

Existing Laws Or Codes Of Conduct Are Often Violated:

Even when laws or codes of conduct exist, they are often violated. For example, the manufacture and export of products often involves multiple layers of production and outsourcing, which can make it difficult to monitor who is performing labour at each step of the process. Extensive subcontracting can intentionally or unintentionally hide the use of child labour.

Carpet Weaver Nepal, 1993 Photo: David Parker

Laws And Enforcement Are Often Inadequate:

Child labour laws around the world are often not enforced or include exemptions that allow for child labour to persist in certain sectors, such as agriculture or domestic work. Even in countries where strong child labour laws exist, labour departments and labour inspection offices are often under-funded and under-staffed, or courts may fail to enforce the laws. Similarly, many state governments allocate few resources to enforcing child labour laws.

National Laws Often Include Exemptions:

Certain countries national laws also include exemptions for child labour as;

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Nepal: Minimum age of 14 for most work. Plantations and brick kilns are exempt. Kenya: Prohibits children under 16 from industrial work... but excludes agriculture.

Bangladesh: Specifies a minimum age for work 16, but sets no regulations on domestic work or agricultural work. Pakistan: Specifies a minimum age for work 16, but sets no regulations on domestic work or agricultural work.

Workers Rights Are Repressed:

Workers abilities to organize unions affect the international protection of core labour standards, including child labour. Attacks on workers abilities to organize make it more difficult to improve labour standards and living standards in order to eliminate child labour. For example, in 2001, 10,000 workers were fired and 4,000 workers were arrested as a result of their union activity, according to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

The Global Economy Intensifies The Effects Of Some Factors:

Photo: David Parker Page 15

Child Labour in Pakistan

As multinational corporations expand across borders, countries often compete for jobs, investment, and industry. This competition sometimes slows child labour reform by encouraging corporations and governments to seek low labour costs by resisting international standards. Some U.S. legislation has begun to include labour standards and child labour as criteria for preferential trade and federal contracts. However, international free trade rules may prohibit consideration of child labour or workers rights.

Interest Payments:
The effects of poverty in developing countries are often worsened by the large interest payments on development loans. The structural adjustments associated with these loans often require governments to cut education, health, and other public programs, further harming children and increasing pressure on them to become child labourers.

4.0 ADVANTAGES:
Two Main Facts are generally observed while searching the phenomenon of Child Labour; and that are; First: That working children are not always contributing to the family income. Because first they usually are not getting proper wages, added to this due to bad working conditions and bad environment they are getting sick which often affects their future life. In this way they often become a Burden On Their Families.

Secondly: Why are the owners not employing the adults instead of the children? This would give jobs to millions of adults who are now jobless. If they are getting job the level of poverty and unemployment will go down. Additionally, children may have a chance to getting an education thus enabling a more modern industry to develop.

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Well, discussing about the advantages of any Social Evil will be a great Humor yet a class of people still thinks and recognizes certain Benefits of this Evil; and justify themselves as saying the following words4;

Child labourers can bring money to the family. The child gets to learn a trade that can be of use later in their life. The children are quite active than the adults and are able to do the work instantly and quickly. They have a great ability to understand each and everything quickly. They are a cheap source of labour and can reduce the cost of production and in turn can increase the profit margin.

5.0 DISADVANTAGES:
Child labour does more than deprive children of their education and mental and physical development - their childhood is stolen. Immature and inexperienced child labourers may be completely unaware of the short and long term risks involved in their work. Working long hours, child labourers are often denied a basic school education, normal social interaction, personal development and emotional support from their family. Beside these problems, children face many Physical Dangers - and death - from forced labour. Like other problems, child labour is also accompanied with a great series of adverse effects or the hazards like;

Physical Injuries and mutilations are caused by badly maintained machinery on farms and in factories, machete accidents in plantations, and any number of hazards encountered in industries such as mining, ceramics and fireworks manufacture Pesticide Poisoning is one of the biggest killers of child labourers. In Sri Lanka, pesticides kill more children than diphtheria, malaria, polio and tetanus combined. The global death toll each year from pesticides is supposed to be approximately 40'000 Growth Deficiency is prevalent among working children, who tend to be shorter and lighter than other children; these deficiencies also impact on their adult life

See also for the example of NIKE and Carpet Industry In Pakistan-in Appendix 1.
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Long-Term Health Problems, such as respiratory disease, asbestosis and a variety of cancers, are common in countries where children are forced to work with dangerous chemicals HIV/AIDS And Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases are rife among the one million children forced into prostitution every year; pregnancy, drug addiction and mental illness are also common among child prostitutes Child labour deprives a child of a proper childhood. He suffers physical and mental torture. He becomes mentally and emotionally mature too fast which is a dangerous sign. Child labour creates and perpetuates poverty. It condemns the child to a life of unskilled, badly paid work. Ultimately this leads to child labour with each generation of poor children undercutting wages.

5.1 Consequences Of Child Labour:

Stunted growth of future generation Inability to harness human resources Inability to contribute to development Inability to benefit from development Citizens with accumulated frustration Adult unemployment Depreciation in wages Perpetuation of poverty Persistence of child labour Perpetuation of economic inequality Increased abuse of children Increased illiteracy Ignorant populace Citizens with inferiority complex Malnourished citizens Sick citizens Political instability Early morbidity of citizens
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Mental deformity of citizens Perpetuation of ill treatment Increased bottlenecks in the development process Wasted human resources Wasted human talents and skills

Alas! Scientists, A Lot Of Artists And Persons Of Eminence Lost To Child Labour!

6.0 COMBATING THE PROBLEM:

Child Labour is a complex problem which demands a range of solutions.

There is no better way to prevent child Labour than to make education compulsory.

6.1 Laws Regarding Child Labour5:

6.1.1Globally:
Global Political Initiatives to respect the rights of children, together with the production of internationally recognized statistics, are coordinated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) through its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour. The ILO has sponsored the two key instruments of international law. Firstly: The 1973 Minimum Age Convention 138 imposes a minimum age of 15 for legal employment. Secondly: The 1999 Convention 182 for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour obliges countries to identify and quantify the incidence of such child labour, backed by national plans for its elimination. The ILO aims to achieve this goal by 2016 and time bound country plans should have been in place by 2008.
5

See also for the Laws Regarding Child Labour Globally and Nationally-in Appendix 2

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Countries ratifying these Conventions are committed to pass laws consistent with the provisions. Parallel laws to enforce the right to education reinforce child labour legislation. Every full-time student is one less full-time child worker.

Unfortunately, 13 countries had still not ratified Convention 182 as at February 2009, including India, Burma and Sierra Leone. A major review of the 2016 global objective published by the ILO in 2007 says that It is clear that this ambitious target will not be achieved by business as usual."

Although almost every country has laws prohibiting the employment of children below a certain age, legislation too often proves ineffective. New laws periodically introduced in South Asia are shrugged off by hardened business owners and disillusioned campaigners alike. Convention 182 is particularly weak on the special vulnerability of girl children. This is countered in part by extra-territorial laws that permit prosecution of citizens who sexually abuse children in another country. For example nationals from many European countries and the US can now be charged at home for engaging a child prostitute in Thailand.

6.1.2 Situation In Pakistan:

More than two and half years on, Pakistani Authorities have expressed concern over a rise in child labour - already a serious problem throughout Pakistan - in the quake-affected area. A Child Labour Survey conducted by the Federal Bureau of Statistics in 1996, the most recent available official statistics on the issue, shows that 3.3 million children under the age of 14 were working. Of the 3.3 million working children, 73 per cent (2.4 million) were BOYS and 27 per cent (0.9 million), GIRLS. Children's contribution to work in Rural Areas is about eight times greater than in urban areas. The number of Economically Active Children in the 10-14 years age group is more than four times the children in the 5-9 years age group Aid workers say that figure is likely to much higher now.

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In towns such as Abbotabad, children can be seen sleeping in the open air, something unheard of before 2005. This has prompted the government to set up a school specifically for children working in the area. Before the earthquake, the ratio of children involved in child labour was around Five Percent. Today its more than 15 percent, Faiz Ullah, assistant director of the Abbotabad labour department, said, estimating that some 10,000 children in the quake-affected area were working to support their families. According to non-governmental organisation (NGO) Save the Children Sweden, the figure is much higher despite there being a lack of verifiable and quantifiable data.

Photo: David Swanson/IRIN Many children have no choice but to work to support their families

To me the number would be significantly more. Ten thousand is a very low number, Ghulum Qadri, programme manager for the NGO in Pakistan, said. According to data the NGO collected at the end of last year and is still analysing from some 5,000 children in the quake-affected districts of Battagram, Abbotabad and Mansehra, prior to the quake approximately 20 percent of children worked. Today, some 35 percent of children in these areas work. The National Child Labour survey ( 1 ), conducted in 1996 by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, found 3.3 million of the 40 million children (in the 5-14 years age group) to be economically active ( 2 ) on a full-time basis.

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7.0 ROLES OF DIFFERENT BODIES TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM AND CERTAIN SUGGESTIONS TO THEM:

7.1 Other Countries and Child Labour:

The West understood this a long time ago. Laws were enacted very early to secure continued
education for working children; and now they have gone a step forward, and required completion of at least the preliminary education of the child before he or she starts work. Martin Luther as back far 1524 sent a letter to German Municipalities insisting it was their duty to provide schools, and the duty of parents to educate their children. In Sweden, a royal decree in 1723 instructed parents and guardians to diligently see to it that their children applied themselves to book reading. In Europe, one country after another; Scotland, Prussia (1817), Austria (1869), France, United Kingdom (1880) and Italy made education compulsory. In 1872, Japan became the first non-Western country to make elementary school education compulsory with the declaration by the Meiji Govt.

7.2 Pakistans Perspective For Child Labour:

7.2.1 Govt. Support And Suggestions to It6:
The present government in Pakistan has made elementary education compulsory. Along with this, the government has distributed free books in primary schools so that parents, who cannot afford their childrens school expenses, send their children to schools. The Major Point is that this decision must be acted upon at all levels. There is strict need to stop child Labour in this country. The agreement that has recently been approved by Pakistan, Norway and ILO to eradicate child Labour must be given importance and we hope that our rulers must put this agreement into practice using all means at their disposal. The incidence of child labour in the world decreased from 25 to 10 percent between 1960 and 2003, according to the World Bank.
6

See for the articles on Govt. Initiatives in Child Labour Elimination-in Appendix 2 Page 22

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We also suggest certain phenomenal suggestions to our Govt. in order to combat this ever growing Social Evil;

Awareness must be raised and the attention of parents ought to be diverted to the education of their children. Child Labour Laws should be put into practice strictly. In addition, the educational system of the country-must be reshaped and restructured according to national development goals. The orphans and other deserving children must be helped financially on a prolonged basis. It is also essential to eliminate child Labour from the country, that the political, economical and social system of the country are need to be reshaped and such steps taken that make child Labour in this country a crime. Must help and encourage the activities of any Non-Govt. Body working for the prosperity of the children. They should bring on the well-being of a lay man, good governance and end to exploitative thinking.

If we succeed to act upon these principles, our country can easily get rid of this problem i.e. child Labour.

7.2.2 Role of Non-Government Bodies and Suggestions to These:

The involvement of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in child labour is fairly recent but it is steadily growing in momentum. However, only a few NGOs have succeeded in achieving recognition in this field at the national level.

UNICEF Steps In:

Working closely with local authorities and the Jobs Creating Development Society (JCDS), a local NGO in Abbotabad, UNICEF has established Two Child Protection Centers in the city where some 500 children were found to be working.

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In these centres, children are offered non-formal education as a way of reintegrating them into government schools, explained UNICEF child protection officer Agnes Mutenyo Karani. Additionally, workers at the centre have the opportunity to meet with local employers in an effort to raise awareness of childrens rights so that child labour can be avoided. Most of the participants are boys, but a large number of girls are also present, many working as domestic servants in the quake-affected area, according to Speek-Warnery.

Photo: David Swanson/IRIN Since the quake, there has been a marked increase in child labour in the area

To attend, children must get permission from their parents and employers. Then, classes are fast-tracked or back-tracked according to the childs individual needs, Speek-Warnery said. Some children have attended school formally before, while others havent at all. We need to integrate our curriculum accordingly, Akbar Ali, a child protection monitor for JCDS, added.

Celebrities Work:
Another really markable work done in this regard of getting rid of Child Rights Depriviations, by a renowned Singer of Pakistan Shahzad Roy who has established his SAHARA TRUST for the welfare of such deprived children and is working day and night to educate and civilize such ignored kids. Its basically working for the mental, perceptual and educational development of such kids who are either in the state of Orphanage-i-e having neither of the parents, or are due to any reason not able to enjoy basic life facilities.

While we suggest certain valuable Suggestions to them to enhance their workability in an economy like Pakistan; They should also aims to secure the income and employment of parents as a prior condition to eliminating child labour.
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They should try changing deep-seated mindsets and attitudes about child labour and education in the entire community in villages, especially, and the whole economy generally through the conduction of their training programs among the poor and deprived people. They must try opening greater no of schools and training centers for such children and their parents so to use education as the entry point for weaning children away from the looms. They should Develop income compensatory strategies They must start Advocacy for legal and institutional reforms. They must try Facilitating Intra-Household Adjustments.

7.2.3 Role of General Public:

Pakistanis a country with a greater population mess including a mark able no: of professional and literate persons like Doctors, Lawyers, Businessmen, Professors, Teachers and others. Even the general public at Micro level can do something to eradicate the Bone of Contention of this problem. People at micro level can conduct such thought provoking programs and training events in their societies, workplaces, gathering resorts or even can arrange Concerts to creating awareness about this social evil in the minds of others, especially in the minds of lower class of our society. This will generate a great sense of responsibility in our societal members and to some extent certain solutions to this evil can be searched out. And if became cooperated and gathered to find out the solution for this problem, general public can influence or pressurize our Govt. to take solid lawful initiatives for eradicating this problem from our economy. They can achieve the target through; Conduction of thought provoking training programs at micro-level, regarding Child labour. Inviting any celebrity in any concert who will share his/her ideas about Child Labour and its Side effects with the general mess. Informal discussions at commonplaces with friends and family members regarding the issue and its Hazards.

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8.0 CONCLUSION:
Globally speaking, there is no single cause of child labour nor any single model adequately explain complex phenomenon of child labour. Nevertheless, some of the factors affecting child labour are identified as low income, indebting of family (part of repaying the debt involves a child becoming an indentured labour to the creditor party), big family size and fertility (household with more children end up providing less education for each child and may need to send children to work to help earn income to meet needs), household structure and migration, difficulty in easy access to qualitative schooling, and demand within a given society for child labour. However, according to a study the most common cause behind child labour in Pakistan remains of death or illness of adult member of the family.

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