Take your car to the mechanic and you will probably see a boy working in the background with the hood propped open. Examples of child labour abound and run smack into the child labour conventions that Pakistan has ratified and must implement to maintain its GSP Plus status.
With the mid- term review to be undertaken by the middle of October, Pakistan will have to show that it is making progress and is on track to achieve the objectives of its GSP Plus status. One of which is it the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
In the GSP Plus review of Pakistan 2014-2015, it was observed that no dedicated child labour survey has been carried out in Pakistan since 1996 when it was estimated that there were 3.3 million underage labourers. ILO estimated the number to be more than 12 million in 2012 and Unicef estimated it at more than 10 million.
A number of laws are in place in Pakistan to prevent child labour. The Employment of Children Act, 1991, prohibited the employment of children in certain occupations and regulated work conditions. Since its devolution, the provinces are still working on adopting the legislation.
The Punjab Provincial Government has passed legislation establishing 15 as the minimum age of employment and 18 as the minimum age for employment in hazardous work. It also launched the Elimination of Child Labor and Bonded Labor Project. Balochistan has passed the Child Protection Act, which mandates the creation of child protection units and provide a referral mechanism by which rescued children can be placed in protective custody and obtain rehabilitation services.
The KP government has adopted a law on elimination of child labour and allocated funds to improve labour inspections with a special focus on child labour. Sindh Assembly has passed a bill against the employment of children younger than 14 years, making child labour an offence punishable with prison term and fine.
However, the root of the problem is not Pakistan’s lack of eagerness to ratify international conventions or pass bills in assemblies with pretty words; it is in the lack of implementation. In the previous GSP Plus review, the European authorities concluded that Pakistan has taken measures to address children’s right but is facing significant and capacity challenges. The review stated that the political will was there to address the problem of child labour. But is the will really there with Pakistan’s politics mired in Panama and Imran Khan’s potential disqualification? How often is child labour part of the political discourse?
The previous stated Pakistan needs to work harder on implementation. GSP Plus is the stick and carrot to address rights’ violations in Pakistan. If not for the sake of the children than for the sake of Pakistan’s exports, the laws passed need to be implemented to ensure that Pakistan’s trade balance doesn’t suffer more than it already has.
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