Ten million children suffer in domestic work around the world: ILO global study
On the World day against Child Labour promoting “No Child Labour in Domestic Work” new global data on child domestic works have been announced.
Sialkot (ILO News): “An estimated 10.5 million children worldwide – most of them under age – are working as domestic workers in people’s homes, in hazardous and sometimes slavery-like conditions. Girls in child domestic work far outnumber boys, although boys also feature in significant numbers and are exposed to similar problems and vulnerability”. This was shared by Mr Francesco d’Ovidio, the Country Director, ILO Pakistan, at an event organized by a community girl’s college in village Bhagwal Awan, District Sialkot.
In this event, a large number of children and community members in a community established and run girls college reaffirmed their commitment to say no to child labour especially child domestic labour, in village Bhagwal Awan District Sialkot. Bilal Usman, 22 years, who was an ex-child labourer, eloquently spoke in English language about his person struggle to break-away from being a child labour and pursue his dream to attain higher education. He attribute his success to the efforts of his teach Ms Farzana Hassan, principal of the community college, and the ILO intervention to show him the educational path to success.
Ms Shaheen Attiqu-ur-Rehman vice Chairperson of Bunyad NGO highlighted the role of ILO in helping the stakeholders in Sialkot to address the issue of Child labour. She said “the valuable interventions that ILO has started in Siakoot to help address the child labour, 15 years on have now become self-sustained where community and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce continue to be vigilant and try to keep child in schools”. KhawajaZaka, Chairman, Independent Monitoring Agency on Child Labour, while speaking to the gathering of more than two hundred children and community elders said, “We are thankful to the ILO as it guided us and taught us ways and means how to address child labour. ILO project has completed ten years ago but we are stillreaping its fruits, as we see many children like Bilal Usam who have transformed into highly educated young men and women. He assured that Sailkot Chamber and community will continue to fight child labour including the Child labour in domestic work”.
Later, the ILO Country Director, Mr Francesco d’Ovidio, visited village Mehtpur, a project of Baidaire and “Promoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment” GE4DE-ILO Project, to meet group of home-based workers who with support GE4DE-ILO and NGO Baidarie have organized themselves to realize their rights. The Home based Workers have received training under the ILO project GE4DE CIDA funded Project, on collective bargaining, gender equality and social protection. Through the project all the 100 HBWs got registered as members of Trade Union Sialkot. During the discussion with the HBWs the Director said “Today we are here to pay tribute to your efforts, it is very important that your rights as home based workers not only have recognition but you all benefit from it as a collective voice against unfair work practices. We highly appreciate the efforts of Punjab Government who took lead in approving HBWs policy, and we are very confident that the Government of Punjab while implementing this policy will ensure the rights of home based workers are protected. We ILO appreciate and recognise the great contribution of women in the development of Punjab, out which huge number of these are the silent women based workers”. He appreciated the efforts and hard work of the HBWs and highlighted “the efforts of the HBWs of Mehtpur should be shared with the decision makers, he said, all HBWs groups of Mehtpur are the ambassador of the women of Pakistan who are not organized and are not awareness of their rights.
Three best practices were presented; one of which was Ms Balqees’ husband is a worker at a blacksmith shop. His wages are low so he does not earn enough to make both ends meet. In addition to performing the household chores Balqees has been stitching foot balls for the last 25 years. She could stitch 3 to 4 balls a day and earn approximately Rs. 1500 per month out of her toils.
Ms Balqees reflects, “With every new dawn the prices of the essential commodities continued to increase and my difficulties multiplied. The meager earning I was having out of soccer balls stitching also decreased as the middle person told me that there were no more ball panels available in market to be stitched.” The condition of her household began getting worsened all the more. She recalls, “One day, some workers from Baidarie came to my house and asked several questions about my family conditions, work and income etc. I answered all the questions to my understanding. Later they invited me to Baidarie office to participate in a three days training workshop. It was a new experience of learning for me”, tells Balqees Bibi. “We were told about the rights of the home based workers, the hurdles in their achievement and the possible ways of overcoming the confronting problems. The information encouraged me and instilled in me a thrill and passion to change my conditions the conditions of my household for the better. I decided to take a bold step forward, I learnt that Baidarie provides small loans to the poor so that they may set up and run their own businesses. I planned to do petty trading, applied for a loan of Rs. 20,000 and got it. I used this loan for setting up a shop to sell shampoo, laces, bangles, thread and other items of the household usage.” States Balqees bibi.
Senior Programme Officer
ILO Country Office for Pakistan
Email
Tel.: +92 51 2276456-8
In this event, a large number of children and community members in a community established and run girls college reaffirmed their commitment to say no to child labour especially child domestic labour, in village Bhagwal Awan District Sialkot. Bilal Usman, 22 years, who was an ex-child labourer, eloquently spoke in English language about his person struggle to break-away from being a child labour and pursue his dream to attain higher education. He attribute his success to the efforts of his teach Ms Farzana Hassan, principal of the community college, and the ILO intervention to show him the educational path to success.
Ms Shaheen Attiqu-ur-Rehman vice Chairperson of Bunyad NGO highlighted the role of ILO in helping the stakeholders in Sialkot to address the issue of Child labour. She said “the valuable interventions that ILO has started in Siakoot to help address the child labour, 15 years on have now become self-sustained where community and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce continue to be vigilant and try to keep child in schools”. KhawajaZaka, Chairman, Independent Monitoring Agency on Child Labour, while speaking to the gathering of more than two hundred children and community elders said, “We are thankful to the ILO as it guided us and taught us ways and means how to address child labour. ILO project has completed ten years ago but we are stillreaping its fruits, as we see many children like Bilal Usam who have transformed into highly educated young men and women. He assured that Sailkot Chamber and community will continue to fight child labour including the Child labour in domestic work”.
Later, the ILO Country Director, Mr Francesco d’Ovidio, visited village Mehtpur, a project of Baidaire and “Promoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment” GE4DE-ILO Project, to meet group of home-based workers who with support GE4DE-ILO and NGO Baidarie have organized themselves to realize their rights. The Home based Workers have received training under the ILO project GE4DE CIDA funded Project, on collective bargaining, gender equality and social protection. Through the project all the 100 HBWs got registered as members of Trade Union Sialkot. During the discussion with the HBWs the Director said “Today we are here to pay tribute to your efforts, it is very important that your rights as home based workers not only have recognition but you all benefit from it as a collective voice against unfair work practices. We highly appreciate the efforts of Punjab Government who took lead in approving HBWs policy, and we are very confident that the Government of Punjab while implementing this policy will ensure the rights of home based workers are protected. We ILO appreciate and recognise the great contribution of women in the development of Punjab, out which huge number of these are the silent women based workers”. He appreciated the efforts and hard work of the HBWs and highlighted “the efforts of the HBWs of Mehtpur should be shared with the decision makers, he said, all HBWs groups of Mehtpur are the ambassador of the women of Pakistan who are not organized and are not awareness of their rights.
Three best practices were presented; one of which was Ms Balqees’ husband is a worker at a blacksmith shop. His wages are low so he does not earn enough to make both ends meet. In addition to performing the household chores Balqees has been stitching foot balls for the last 25 years. She could stitch 3 to 4 balls a day and earn approximately Rs. 1500 per month out of her toils.
Ms Balqees reflects, “With every new dawn the prices of the essential commodities continued to increase and my difficulties multiplied. The meager earning I was having out of soccer balls stitching also decreased as the middle person told me that there were no more ball panels available in market to be stitched.” The condition of her household began getting worsened all the more. She recalls, “One day, some workers from Baidarie came to my house and asked several questions about my family conditions, work and income etc. I answered all the questions to my understanding. Later they invited me to Baidarie office to participate in a three days training workshop. It was a new experience of learning for me”, tells Balqees Bibi. “We were told about the rights of the home based workers, the hurdles in their achievement and the possible ways of overcoming the confronting problems. The information encouraged me and instilled in me a thrill and passion to change my conditions the conditions of my household for the better. I decided to take a bold step forward, I learnt that Baidarie provides small loans to the poor so that they may set up and run their own businesses. I planned to do petty trading, applied for a loan of Rs. 20,000 and got it. I used this loan for setting up a shop to sell shampoo, laces, bangles, thread and other items of the household usage.” States Balqees bibi.
For further information please contact:
M. Saifullah Chaudhry (PhD)Senior Programme Officer
ILO Country Office for Pakistan
Tel.: +92 51 2276456-8