ISLAMABAD (ILO News) - This year ILO jointly with UNICEF, UNESCO and European Union (EU) organized activities to highlight the World Day Against Child Labour in Pakistan. This includes a joint statement to media, major event in capital Islamabad, and banner camping in Islamabad.
Moreover, ILO Islamabad Office helped shape multiple activities to commemorate the World Day Against Child Labour across Pakistan. During 10-13 June various events on the theme “Human Rights and Social Justice, Let’s End Child Labour…” were organized in different cities including Lahore, Karachi, Sahiwal, and Sukkur under the Combating Abusive Child Labour-II Project. Electronic and Print media in Pakistan gave wide spread coverage to observe World Day Against Child Labour.
In the main Islamabad event, children from slums of Islamabad presented a tubule on child labour and students from three Universities participated in a speech contest on the theme of “Human Rights and Social Justice…Let’s end Child Labour”. The Goodwill Ambassador for Orphans and Advisor for South Asian Initiatives to End Violence against Children (SAIEVAC) Ms Jahan Ara Wattoo was the chief guest on the occasion.
Ms Margaret Reade Round, Officer in Charge, ILO Pakistan office in her welcome speech said, “Since early 1990’s the ILO has been supporting its tripartite constituents, governments, employers’ and workers’ organisations, to directly and indirectly address the elimination of child labour in Pakistan”. She said that there is credible progress in Pakistan; however more still needs to be done to fully address the child labour issue. She praised the provincial governments of Punjab for allocating special budget for informal education to withdraw and rehabilitate child labourers.
The event featured lively performance of children and speeches of university students on the theme “Human Rights and Social Justice: Let’s End Child Labour”. The children skilfully depicted the sufferings of a child domestic labourer and also performed on the famous poem of poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal “Lab pay ati hay dua”.
In the speech contest, the three female speakers highlighted the strong and deep-rooted linkages of child labour and poverty. The speakers highlighted the ILO’s global study that suggested 215 million child labourers around the world, including 115 million in its worst forms. They said that children are the backbone of Pakistan’s bright future. They urged the government and society to take these real issues more seriously and on urgent basis. Contestants from the Fatima Jinnah Women University won the speech contest whereas students from NUST and International Islamic University stood second and third respectively.
Officer in Charge UNESCO Mr Roshan Chitrakar said that by signing UN conventions, Pakistan has committed to ensure opportunities for food, nutrition, health care and inclusive education for all children. “It is estimated that over 7 million children in Pakistan are out of schools. In rural areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, about half of school aged girls do not go to schools,” he said.
Communication specialist Unicef Abudul Mr Sami Malik read statement form UNICEF. He said that behind any statistics on child labour there is the face of a child - a child who has right to education, health, wellbeing and a role in the development of this nation. “Ending child labour requires a collective effort of parents, community leaders, private sector, civil society, development agencies, and government,” he concluded.
The Chief Guest Ms Jahanarra Wattoo appreciated the ILO’s efforts to help address child labour issue in Pakistan. She said that children are the future of Pakistan and serious coordinated efforts are required to build the future on firm grounds. She said that media could play important role in changing the social mind-set towards child labourers.
National Media Coverage: ILO and UN Information Center (UNIC) have jointly sent letters to various electronic and print media houses encouraging them to allocate time/space to highlight the World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June. Both electronic and print media responded well and took keen interest and highlighted the plight of child labour in Pakistan. There was range of television and radio programmes that wen on air. These include Live Discussion of 120 minutes show on State Television (PTV) in two regional languages. The Radio Pakistan, FM 99 radio channel and Voice of America (VOA) conducted Interview of the ILO Officials. Moreover, there was a two hour ling live discussion on FM 100 Radio Channel. ILO helped identify resource persons form government, employers’ and workers’ organizations and NGOs to appear on various televisions and radio programmes and educate public on the issue of child labour.
For further information please contact:
Mr M.Saifullah Chaudhry
Senior Programme Officer and Media Focal Person
ILO Country Office for Pakistan
Email
Tel.: +92 51 2276456-8
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