One of the leading societal evils that continues to plague the world is child labour which violates the fundamental rights of children enshrined in Pakistan’s Constitution and international human rights law.
On the World Day Against Child Labour, celebrated annually on 12th June, the Federal Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen Mazari outlined the importance of educating children and enabling them to live their childhood to the fullest by safeguarding them against abuse. In her message, Dr Mazari stressed that the employment of children under the age of fourteen years for labour was a violation of the Constitution and international human rights commitments. She particularly underscored the need to safeguard children from child domestic labour which was prohibited under the recently enacted amendment to the 1991 Employment of Children Act.
In the run up to World Day Against Child Labour, the Ministry of Human Rights inaugurated its first Child Protection Institute in Islamabad on 11th June to protect children from abuse, exploitation and neglect by providing them with rescue, shelter, psychosocial support, education, vocational training services.
The Ministry of Human Rights has made significant efforts in the last few years to promote and protect the rights of children. The enactment of the ICT Child Protection Act, 2018 has been a major development to protect children from all forms of abuse and exploitation. Section 10 (1) of the Act calls for the establishment of a Child Protection Institute, which was fulfilled on 11th June this year.
In March 2019, a National Child Labour Survey was launched by the Ministry in collaboration with UNICEF after a lapse of 23 years to collect scientific data of child labour in the country to get empirical data which would help devise a comprehensive policy to combat child labour. The results of the survey are expected to be released by December 2021.
The National Commission on Rights of the Child (NCRC) was constituted in February 2020 in exercise of powers conferred by Section 3 (1) of the National Commission on Rights of the Child Act, 2017. Its purpose is to monitor the situation of child rights violations throughout the country and works towards establishing an enabling, responsive and protective environment for children.
The Ministry has also been actively engaged in spreading awareness about children’s rights through human rights awareness campaigns on TV and social media and awareness sessions with community leaders. Shehzad Roy, singer and social activist, has remained on the forefront of the Ministry’s campaigns to educate the public about protecting children from all forms of abuse.
The Ministry has a toll-free helpline 1099 which works around the clock to take on complaints of all categories of human rights violations including child abuse, domestic violence etc by providing free legal aid and referral services.
To mark World Day Against Child Labour, a radio show was organised by the Ministry in collaboration with FM 101 to increase awareness about child labour, its detrimental impact on children and the society, and the importance of ensuring access to education for all children.