Amendment in child labour act discussed
- January 15, 2015, 9:48 pm
- Breaking News
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QUETTA Jan 15 (PPI): UNICEF Child Protection chief in Pakistan Sarahh Coleman has said that there is no anti smuggling law for children within the country. UNICEF is cooperating with the federal and provincial governments for making laws for the rights of children. In Balochistan for protection of children draft for amendment in laws have been prepared. With the collaboration of civil society and government soon bill will be tabled in provincial assembly for complete ban on child labour under the age of fourteen.
She was addressing an awareness workshop for the said bill organized by the labour department.
Director General social welfare Dr. Kahor Khan said that labourer is friend of Almighty but the wealthy people had always used the labourers for their own benefit and the richer is getting richer and the poorer is getting further poorer.
Ignorance and poverty both are interconnected and we are facing both, by removing both we can abolish child labour. Unfortunately our society has accepted child labour . Without changing the system of wealth distribution we cannot remove child labour.
Director Labour Saeed Ahmed Sarparah while briefing about the amendment in 1991 child labour act said that there were lots of flaws in the previous law and taking advantage of these flaws the culprits always escaped from the hands of the justice. In the said amendment a complete ban has been proposed on the labour of children below the age of fourteen and for the children between the ages of 15 to 18 years they would be allowed only six hours labour daily in a healthy and good environment and there would be a break after three hours. He further said that today is very important day for the protection of rights of children in Balochistan as the proposed amendment in the 1991 act has been presented in front of representatives of all the labour unions, concerned departments, civil society for discussion and advice. There would be complete ban on the work of under-fourteen children on railway stations, sea ports, fisheries, printing presses and newspaper folders, hotels, garages, carpet industry and all the dangerous places. Ban would also be imposed on working in houses.
Chief of UNICEF Balochistan Imtiaz Khan, Consultant UNICEF Abdul Sattar, Child Commissioner Syed Munawar Shah commenting on the bill said that after the amendment the children would be tilted towards education after the said bill.
Representatives of all the labour unions, including Balochistan Labour Federation, Workers Federation, All Pakistan Labour Federation gave their inputs. NADRA, FIA, Social welfare, Seher and other governmental and civil society organizations termed it an important step toward removal of child labour.
