The trend of taking forced labor from young children continues in Punjab

Lahore: Despite the ban on child labor in Punjab, cases of forced labor and sexual and physical violence against children are commonplace, and the order of the Lahore High Court is still not being implemented.

According to Express News, the Lahore High Court has ordered the Child Protection Bureau to strictly implement the law prohibiting forced labor from children in factories, factories and workshops including homes. , register cases against the parents of the children and their employers while the police authorities have been directed to cooperate fully with the concerned departments to prevent child labor but the orders are still not being implemented.

NGOs working for children’s rights say that unless other departments including the Labor Department, Police and Child Protection Bureau come on the same page, it is not possible to eradicate child labour. Like other provinces of the country, Punjab Forced labor from young children is also common in India, and what is alarming in this regard is that children are subjected to sexual and physical violence and abuse during domestic child labour.

Child Protection Welfare Bureau Punjab has rescued around 25 children so far this year. According to the statistics of the Punjab Labor Department received by the Express Tribune, from 2017 to 2021, 181 thousand 942 inspection visits were made to factories, factories, brick kilns and other workplaces and 13 thousand 184 victims of forced labor in five years. Children were rescued, 7 thousand 207 cases were registered and 3 thousand 163 people were arrested. 2322 children working in brick kilns and 10862 children from other places were rescued.

Director of Labor Punjab Dawood Abdullah while talking to Express Tribune said that there are three laws regarding child labor in Punjab which we have the responsibility to implement. Regarding their implementation, we are reviewing on a daily basis, modern mechanism has been adopted for this, now the inspector has to go there and give the picture and other details.

He said that our entire inspection system is online which has improved a little, from 2017 till now we register at least 1 thousand FIRs regarding child labor every year out of which 80% of the offenders are fined. have been imposed while most of them were sentenced to imprisonment.

He said that there is a fear of violating the sanctity of the four walls in taking action regarding children working at home, for the implementation of this law, committees will be formed at the level of the Union Council which will be effective in their respective areas. Will be able to work.

Iftikhar Mubarak, Executive Director of Search Forests, a non-governmental organization that works for children’s rights, says that no child works in a shop, factory or home of his own accord, the child’s parents or guardians send him to work. It is a form of forced labor which is taken advantage of by the child’s parents, guardians and employers who take the child’s labour.

He said that parents take advance money in exchange for putting children to work, child domestic labor is the worst example of child labor, children are victims of sexual and physical violence, they are abused. When such incidents come to light, then there is the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau which not only rescues and protects such children but also provides legal assistance to these children and files cases against the owners.

He said that the need is that all the departments like Labor Department, Police, Child Protection Bureau, Social Security and Prosecution should come on the same page to end forced labor of children, besides more and more publicity of laws against taking labor from children. need of

Nadeem Ashraf, a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, while talking about the forced labor of children, said that economic constraints are in place, but no one, including parents, has the right to spoil the life of a child. Various departments are working in isolation, there is lack of communication, Labor Department, Social Welfare Department, Home Department, Child Protection Bureau, Women Department, Law Department and other departments are doing their own work. Wrote a letter to the government to form child protection and child rights committees at the provincial and district levels, which include representatives of all relevant departments and work together.

On the other hand, according to the officials of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, the agency cannot stop child labor, but we have the authority to do so if a child is being forced to work, is being tortured, or is being abused. Children are rescued and taken into custody.

He further informed that begging children are being rescued on a daily basis. Counseling of such children is done, their education and artistic development are managed while the parents are also warned, but now, on the order of the Lahore High Court, a case will be registered against the parents who send the children to forced labor and they will be fined. Will be sent to jail.