Elimination of Child Labour in the Soccer Ball Industry in Sialkot (Phase II)
| Time-frame |
Donor(s) |
Duration: 2 years
Starting date: August 2000 |
US Department of Labour (USDOL)
FIFA
Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) |
The first phase of the programme to prevent and eliminate child labour in the soccer ball industry was
implemented from August 1997 to October 1999, after the signing of the Atlanta Agreement ( 5 ) on 14
February 1997 by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), UNICEF and the ILO.
The IPEC project has two main components: a workplace monitoring system, and a social protection
component, which provides educational opportunities to children who are withdrawn from working in the
soccer ball industry. During the project, 10,572 soccer ball stitching children were provided non-formal
education, among which 5,838 have been mainstreamed into formal schools. IPEC set up an external
monitoring system to ensure the elimination of child labour in the stitching centres of participating
manufacturers. The goal was achieved successfully primarily because of the active participation and
contribution of the SCCI members.
The soccer ball project has been one of the most innovative programmes of IPEC in many ways. First,
it has brought together a number of actors, including the local manufacturers and the SCCI, NGOs, and
international organizations. All these organizations have been working together to fulfil a common
objective — the prevention and elimination of child labour in the soccer ball industry in particular, and
in Sialkot in general. The programme has received wide publicity and created awareness on how to
address the child labour problem within Pakistan and abroad. Other manufacturers such as the Pakistan
Carpet Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association (PCMEA) and the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers'
Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) have adopted similar approaches to addressing the child labour problem
in their respective sectors.
The second phase of the project, which aims to consolidate the achievements and address the gaps
of programme implementation during the first phase, is currently in its final stage.
Note 5 - In mid-1996, both the surgical instruments and soccer ball industries in Sialkot district in Punjab province were affected by the
US government's withdrawal of GSP (General System of Preferences) for Pakistan. The government and the private sector had
come under intense international pressure to take steps for the elimination of child labour, particularly in the country's export
industries. This has led to the signing in 1997 of the Atlanta Agreement, under which the first major programme on child labour
in Pakistan was initiated by addressing the child labour problem in the soccer ball industry.
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