ICCI stresses elimination of child labor
ISLAMABAD: President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Nasir Khan demanded of the government that people involved in child labor should be dealt with iron hand.
Speaking on number of children engaged in labor, he said that in Pakistan 67 per cent children were engaged in agriculture, 11 percent in carpet sector, five percent in brick kilns and nine percent in wholesale and retail business, followed by eight percent in community, social and personnel services.
Nasir Khan while addressing a function organized on ‘Universal Children’s Day’ on Tuesday, he informed the audience that at present, officially there were four million child workers (including street children) in Pakistan. These figures include both the urban and rural sector. Non-government sources put the figure beyond 10 million, he disclosed.
“Strict implementation of relevant laws is the only solution to control child labor and the government should provide alternative opportunities of livelihood to poor households who engage their children in petty jobs in unhealthy environment to earn their livelihood,” he said. Nasir Khan emphasized that the government and the business community and other institutions should explore effective ways to eliminate child labour.
He also suggested opening of ‘National Centre for the Rehabilitation of Child Labor’ all over the country like Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM). He said that schools running under the supervisions of PBM were only one or two in number in each district and there was a need to enhance the network of such schools in every town.
Source: The News
Date:11/21/2007
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