PESHAWAR: While acknowledging the government’s legislative effort in tackling child labour in Pakistan, Child Rights activists have demanded an increase in the legal age of a child from 14 to 18 to curb child labour. The demand was made during an event held in connection with the ‘World Day against Child Labour’ here on Sunday. The speakers hoped that the increase in legal age from 14 to 18 to curb child labour will resolve many legal contradictions faced by stakeholders in tackling the plight of child labour in Pakistan.
Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) Peshawar also conducted a conducted Child Labour awareness sessions in the schools and drawing competition in SPARC Street Children Centre Peshawar.
Speakers at the event said ‘World Day against Child Labour’ directs the global community’s attention and brings together key stakeholders to layout actions and efforts necessary to eliminate the menace of child labour.
Child Rights activists acknowledge the government’s legislative effort in tackling child labour in Pakistan; however, they demand an increase in the legal age of a child from 14 to 18 to curb child labour. It will resolve many legal contradictions faced by stakeholders in tackling the plight of child labour in Pakistan.
This year World Day against Child Labour will focus on ‘action’ taken for the 2021 International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour. New global estimates and trends for the period 2016-2020 will be published on ‘Week of Action’.
Mr. Sohail Akhtar– Manager SPARC (Centre for Street Children) said globally, almost one in ten of all children worldwide are in child labour. Though the number has declined by 94 million since 2002, the ongoing global pandemic will endanger this achievement.
Child rights activists disclosed that Africa, Asia, and Pacific regions account for almost every ten children in child labor worldwide. ‘9% of all children in lower-middle-income countries, and 7 percent of all children in upper-middle-income countries, are in child labour amounting to 84 million’.
Many activists and analysts believe that the bulk of child laborers are in informal economic activities. Lal Chand Malhi, Federal Parliamentary Secretary, stated at SPARC’s consultation session that the child labour survey will be completed this year providing us clear and updated statistics.
SPARC continues to work on the issue of Child Labour in Pakistan. SPARC conducts consultation sessions with successive governments, key stakeholders, activists, and lawyers to present the case against Child Labour especially for setting the legal age limit for employment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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