Secretary of Federal Ombudsman, Muhammad Asghar Chaudhary said this on Tuesday while speaking at a meeting of "Task Force on Child Labour" held here at Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat. The meeting was chaired by MNA Asiya Nasir.
The objective of the meeting was to discuss prioritized issues on child labour and possible affirmative actions for rehabilitation of the children involved in child labour in Islamabad Capital Territory. The meeting also discussed prevailing legislation to initiate policy and legal reforms in the ICT.
The participants of the meeting were of the view that key issues relating to child rights in Pakistan include non-existence of adequate law prohibiting employment of children in domestic services; trafficking of children, domestically and internationally, and their sexual exploitation; absence of any appropriate mechanism to prevent child beggary; bonded labour, use of children in smuggling and selling of drugs; and corporal punishments of students / children.
The challenge of child labour is found across the country and needs to be addressed in a systematic manner involving policy and legal reforms as well as practical steps for the rehabilitation of children involved in child labour, they said.
They said, "We hope that our parliamentary task force chaired by MNA Asiya Nasir will look into the systemic issues and take practical measures for the elimination of child labour and their rehabilitation. Indeed, the smart approach to address this issue would focus on Islamabad Capital Territory. The successful interventions in ICT will help provinces initiate similar reforms." During the meeting, it was informed that the Federal Ombudsman institution has taken many steps and measures to redress the grievance of children like establishment of separate wing and notification of the 'National Commissioner for Children, Constitution of the National Committee on Children, appointment of the Provincial Commissioners for Children and Appointment of Commissioners for Children.
National Commissioner for Children, Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi highlighted the role of the key stakeholders in addressing the child issues and their cooperation in taking against the perpetrators. She appreciated the efforts of the Wafaqi Mohtasib and the role of Commissioners for Children appointed by him in motivating the Parliament and other stakeholders in addressing the crucial issues.
During the meeting, it was unanimously resolved to take affirmative action for the rehabilitation of the children involved in child labour in collaboration with the local authorities, UNICEF and law enforcement agencies, wherever required. It was also resolved to initiate the impact assessment of prevailing laws relating to child labour in ICT, identify flaws and initiate policy and legal reforms accordingly. The policy and legal reforms in ICT would also be helpful to the provincial governments in addressing the issue of child labour.