Child Labour in Pakistan - Issues, Policies & Actions
Saeed A. Awan, Pakistan
Child Labour in Pakistan
According to the National Survey of Child Labour conducted in 1996 by the Federal Bureau of Statistics of the Government of Pakistan (1) in collaboration with the ILO, the total number of children in Pakistan falling in the age groups of 5-14 years was 40 million. Out of this total, 3.3 million (or 8.3%) of all children in the country were economically active. The majority of child workers (73%) were boys, the remaining 27% being girls. More than half of the child workers (58.6% or 1.94 million) were working in Punjab Province, the country's largest province. The distribution of child labour by economic sector is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Distribution of economically active children (N03.3 million) in the labour force of Pakistan
The survey found that children's involvement in work in rural areas is about eight times greater than in urban areas. One-third of working children are literate, boys being more educated than girls and urban children more educated than rural children. On the basis of employment status by broad categories, about 70% of working children were unpaid family helpers. Significant urban-rural differentials were observed in their employment status. In rural areas, three out of four working children were working as unpaid family members, while in urban areas the corresponding proportion was one out of three. About 46% of working children worked more than 35 hours per week and a good proportion worked 56 hours or more. According to most of the parents surveyed, children were working in order to assist in household enterprises.
Laws and their Enforcement
The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan states: "No child below the age of fourteen, shall be engaged in any factory or mine or in any other hazardous employment." Also, "All forms of forced labour and traffic in human beings is prohibited." (2) A number of laws contain provisions prohibiting child labour or regulating the working conditions of child and adolescent workers. The most important of these laws are: The Factories Act, 1934; The West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance, 1969; and The Employment of Children Act, 1991.
The government, by virtue of the Employment of Children Act, 1991, is able to protect all the children employed at a workplace. Labour Department inspectors carry out regular inspections of such workplaces. Data on enforcement of the Employment of Children Act, 1991 in Punjab Province (Labour and Manpower Department, Punjab; unpublished data) (the largest province in Pakistan, with approx. 60% of the total population) are given in Figure 2. As can be seen, the numbers of inspections and prosecutions under the Employment of Children Act, 1991 has been rising steeply in the last year. This is mainly because of the government's motivation and training efforts and the renewed emphasis on combating child labour through inspection.
Figure 2. Enforcement of the Employment of Children Act, 1991 in Punjab Province
Note: The columns for 2000 are based on the extrapolation of data for a 2-month period over the entire year
Actions Taken to Eradicate Child Labour
In 1994 the Government of Pakistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The Government of Pakistan committed itself to mobilizing resources in order to eradicate child labour. The ILO agreed to provide financial and technical support for these efforts. The ILO-IPEC has been a strong partner with the Government and NGOs in eliminating child labour from different sectors of the economy. Information on some action programmes for the elimination of child labour is given in Table 1.
Table 1. Overview of some action programmes for the elimination of child labour
Programme Focus Launched in Partners Activities
Elimination of child labour from the soccer ball industry in Sialkot 1997 ILO-IPEC, US, Department of Labour, Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Save the Children Fund UK, Unicef, NGOs Internal monitoring, removal and non-formal education of child labour, microloans to parents
Combating abusive child labour practices through withdrawal and rehabilitation 1998 ILO-IPEC, European Community, Pakistan Bait-ul-Ma, Labour Department Punjab, NGOs Establishment of rehabilitation centre for abused child labour in different sectors of the economy
Elimination of child labour from industry in Sialkot 1999 ILO-IPEC, US, Department of Labour, Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA), NGOs Identification and rehabilitation of child labour from the carpet-weaving sector
Elimination of child labour from the surgical instrument manufacturing industry in Sialkot 1999 ILO-IPEC, Italian Covernment, Surgical Instrument Manufacturing Association (SIMA), NGOs Identification and rehabilitation of child labour from the surgical instrument manufacturing sector
Based on a conversation with Ms. Khadija Khan, Coordinator of the IPEC, ILO Office, Islamabad.
The programme in the soccer ball manufacturing industry in Sialkot has been hailed at the international level as a successful example of concerted action by employers, NGOs and international agencies striving to eliminate of child labour. The IPEC has also helped the government in capacity-building by training personnel and increasing their awareness and also by building focal institutions and bodies within government agencies, specially the Labour Departments. A number of non-formal and formal education programmes are being run by the NGOs, some of which are very successful. There is a need to make these efforts more cohesive and to shift the focus from the micro level to the macro level.
National Action Plan for Eradicating Child Labour
A consultative document, the National Plan of Action and Policy for the Elimination of Child Labour (3), was launched by the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis in February, 2000. This Plan is a major effort aiming to formulate a policy for eradicating child labour at the macro level. The policy set out in the Plan includes: progressive elimination of child labour from all sectors of employment; immediate eradication of the worst forms of child labour; formation of a regular monitoring and inspection system to supervise implementation of the National Plan of Action; prevention of entry onto the labour market of underage children by offering educational opportunities ensuring at least a primary-level (5th grade) education and the teaching of vocational skills to target children. The document outlines the roles to be played by government agencies, NGOs, trade unions and international agencies in combating child labour. It is hoped that this document will lay the foundation for tangible action to eliminate child labour, and will help focus the efforts of government and other agencies on this issue.
Impact of ILO Convention 182 on Strategies to Combat Child Labour in Pakistan
ILO Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, which was adopted by the ILO in Geneva in June 1999, sets being below 18 years as the age of a child for the purpose of this Convention. The "worst forms of child labour" include: slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, forced or compulsory labour, debt bondage and serfdom; the use, engagement or offering of a child in illegal activities, for prostitution, production of pornography, or pornographic performances; the use of children for the production and trafficking of narcotics and prohibited drugs; and activities that are likely to jeopardize the health, safety or morals of children. The ILO Convention states that children should not be used for or engaged in such work or activity under any circumstances.
Most of the "worst" forms of child labour, such as prostitution and child-trafficking, do not exist in Pakistan. The new Convention increases the age distinguishing a child from an adult to 18 years. This may not be feasible in Pakistan's present socioeconomic circumstances. Some young people even become parents at the age of 18. Pakistan's socioeconomic conditions are not yet conducive to declaring 18-year-old adolescents as children. However, special measures can be adopted in the present legislation in order to prevent such workers from doing "hazardous work" as envisaged in the Convention.
References
1. Federal Bureau of Statistics, Government of Pakistan Islamabad: Child Labour Survey, 1996.
2. Article 11 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.
3. National Plan of Action and Policy for the Elimination of Child Labour (A Framework and Consultative Document) issued by the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, Government of Pakistan, February, 2000.
Saeed A. Awan, Director
Centre for the Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment
Lahore, Pakistan
E-mail: awosh@brain.net.pk
