Combating Child Labour in the Carpet Industry (Phase
II)
| Time-frame |
Donor(s) |
Duration: 3 years
Starting date: September 2002 |
US Department of Labour (USDOL)
Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and
Exporters Association (PCMEA) |
The project, Combating Child Labour in the Carpet Industry in Pakistan, is based on an agreement signed
between the PCMEA (Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association) and the ILO in 1998.
The agreement outlined the PCMEA-ILO partnership to eliminate child labour in the carpet industry in
Pakistan. The project, which started in 2002, aims to provide non-formal education, mainstreaming, and
pre-vocational education to about 23,000 carpet weaving children, and access to micro credit to the 1,000
poorest carpet weaving households. The first phase of the project was successfully implemented in three
districts (Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, and Hafizabad) and, in the second phase, the project has been
expanded to three other districts (Multan, Faisalabad, and Toba Tek Singh).
Again, the striking feature of the project is the active participation and contribution of funds by an
employers' association, the PCMEA. The PCMEA is working in close collaboration with the IPEC project
management to establish an internal monitoring system. A comprehensive survey and an occupational
safety and health study were carried out under the project. Carpet weaving is included in the national
list of 29 most hazardous occupations. The project is closely coordinated with the national Time-Bound
Programme (TBP) by a joint IPEC-Pakistan technical advisor (Chief Technical Advisor).
So far, the project has been able to withdraw/keep away around 13,000 carpet weaving children and
their siblings (83 per cent girls) from the hazardous working conditions. These children are now enrolled
in non-formal education centres, pursuing their primary education. In addition, micro credit totalling up
to US$110,000 has been provided to 705 carpet weaving families in rural areas. The repayment rate
is 100 per cent, which speaks for the efficiency of the micro enterprises established through these loans.
A prototype, ergonomic loom, which will improve the productivity of the adult labour, has been designed
and displayed at 30 model worksites. Awareness raising material, consisting of three training videos,
three booklets, and around 24,000 posters, focusing on occupational safety and health measures in
carpet weaving, have been produced and distributed. As a long-term impact, the project has sown the
seeds of community empowerment and created awareness about child labour and the value of education,
especially for girls.
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