Founders Group of Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry has called for stern implementation of Child Labour Act to prevent the incidents of child abuse. The Group's leader Mian Muhammad Ashraf said that due to poor implementation of Child Labour Act, crime of torture against minors are rising and hitting the soft image of the country. Child labour is not only a social issue and against humanitarian ethics but is also directly linked to the economy of any country as developed world always reluctant to do business with those countries where child labour and child abuse is still a big issue, he said.

Mian Muhammad Ashraf said that both federal and provincial governments would have to control the violation of laws, rules & regulations against the child labour. "Child labour is a universal problem and a family being a unit of a society has a direct impact on the socio-economic development of a country. Therefore, the best course of action through which it can be tackled is a phased strategy" he added.

In the pretext of GSP Plus Status granted from the European Union, Pakistan needs to utilize its all of resources to eliminate child labour as particularly European countries have set strict standards in this connection. There is a need to be consistent and much aggressive to root out this problem with least possible loss to economic conditions of the poor, he added.

While emphasizing the need for launching campaigns and projects to eliminate bonded child labour through education and other social services, Founders Group leader said that all segments of society should play their role for this noble cause. Child labour is primarily a social problem of the families and the communities, but its countrywide prevalence has become a national problem for developing economies like Pakistan. There is no denial that every child deserves to sit in a classroom and get access to modern day education where he or she may enjoy the bliss of childhood, he added. He said the child labour is not a recent issue. According to statistics, he said, Pakistan has a population of 200 million with a proportion of about 43% children below 15 years of age while more than 60 percent of the population living below the poverty line that is one of the biggest reasons of child labour. The chambers of commerce and industry, employers and workers organization should play their due role to address this serious issue and those should be brought to the justice who is involved in child labour or torturing the minors, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017