Covid-19 Pandemic may leads to Child Labour & other Exploitations in Pakistan, Shireen Mazari warns
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr.Shireen Mazari warned on Thursday that this year, as the world confronts an unprecedented pandemic, children face an increased risk of child labour, child marriages and other forms of exploitation. The Covid-19 public health emergency has disrupted the right to education for children across the world.
In a message regarding to the World Day against Child Labour, The Federal Minister Human Rights said “we must reaffirm our collective commitment to protect our children and ensure that each child is given the opportunity to realize their potential.”
In Pakistan, where there are already an estimated 22.8 million children out-of-school, this is likely to adversely affect learning outcomes & exacerbate existing inequalities in educational attainment such as high female dropout rates. Projections estimate an alarming 5 fold increase in drop-out rates due to the crisis, Dr Mazari said.
She added that Child labour causes children physical, psychological, moral and social harm. There are an estimated 152 million children in child labour around the world, 72 million of which are in hazardous work.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), there are an estimated 8.5 million child workers in Pakistan. Child labour is most rampant in agriculture (76 %) followed by the service (14.6 %) and manufacturing (6.7 %) industries, where children work long hours and are often exposed to hazardous substances and poor living conditions.
Pakistan has ratified the UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC); its Optional Protocols; and ILO Conventions related to Child Labour,” the Minister went on say.
Meanwhile in a statement issued by the Ministry of Human Rights stated that In a recent tragic incident in Rawalpindi, eight-year-old Zohra Shah was allegedly ruthlessly killed by her employer for accidentally releasing some expensive parrots from their cage.
Child domestic workers are often the victims of torture, rape, murder, and other forms of abuse. Zohra’s case has prompted the Ministry of Human Rights to propose a significant amendment to classify child domestic labour as a ‘hazardous occupation’ under Schedule 1 of the Employment of Children Act 1991, in an effort to strengthen legislation pertaining to the issue,said the statement.
“MoHR works on reviewing and strengthening laws and institutional mechanisms to protect child rights in Pakistan. Laws at the federal and provincial level set bans on hazardous work for children and minimum age limits for labour,the statement further added.
On this occasion, Federal Secretary for Human Rights Rabiya Javeri Agha said that the Ministry of Human Rights recognizes the gravity of the issue of Child Labour in Pakistan. “It deprives children of their childhood, robs them of their futures and violates their fundamental right to education that is enshrined under Article 25-A of the Constitution,the handout said.
We must continue working steadily, cautiously and collectively towards the elimination of Child Labour from society while mitigating economic vulnerabilities and considerations.”Agha said.
She said that for the first time in 23 years, MOHR in collaboration with UNICEF, has launched a national Child Labour Survey that is due to complete by Dec 2020. “This will give us a clearer map of the situation and help guide interventions to effectively tackle the issue and protect the rights of children in Pakistan.”
