ON EVE OF LABOUR DAY 1999, ILO AND UNICEF ASK FOR MORE EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR IN PAKISTAN
Press Release
PI/1126
ON EVE OF LABOUR DAY 1999, ILO AND UNICEF ASK FOR MORE EFFORTS TO ELIMINATE CHILD LABOUR IN PAKISTAN
19990430 ISLAMABAD, 30 April (UN Information Centre) -- Whatever the precise figures are for the number of under-age school children working in Pakistan, it is a fact that it still represents millions, at least three million. Even though recent efforts are definitely showing signs of progress, one child working is one child too many, and the Government and civil society must redouble their efforts to eliminate this phenomenon, United Nations officials told the weekly press briefing of the United Nations Information Centre in Islamabad today."There is a need for a country-wide effort against child labour", said the Regional Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Dani Appave. Child labour is one of four key concerns for the ILO, and he pointed out that his agency, through its International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC), is actively collaborating with government, workers and employers organizations, as well as with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). IPEC Pakistan is presently the single largest country operation of IPEC worldwide.
Mr. Appave gave an overview of new and ongoing projects, particularly the Sialkot Soccer Ball project -- where latest reports indicate that 80 per cent of the production of soccer balls has now been shifted to monitored stitching centres, which are child labour free. "We are making progress and demonstrating that our efforts can make a difference", said Mr. Appave.
Pakistan's Chief of Programmes, Communication and Rights Section of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Rana Syed, stated that "we tend collectively to focus too much on the work aspect and not enough on the child" when discussing the issue. She stressed "the impact that child labour creates on a young one's physical development, but also on the curiousness of his/her mind and his/her psychology". She also pointed out that rather than enhancing production capacity, child labour can result in lower productivity and poor quality of products. This may mean low wages for the employers, but also low profits and less revenue for the country. Underlining the need for families to invest in the education of their children, she also stated: "Child labour perpetuates poverty, because an uneducated child will continue the cycle of misfortune".
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The UNICEF is therefore advocating a holistic approach to eliminate child labour, and strengthening the capacity of government to review existing laws, to improve enforcement and to monitor violation of child rights. UNICEF is also supporting NGOs to improve awareness on the hazards of child labour.
A new international convention, which will focus on the worst forms of child labour, has been discussed by the International Labour Conference in June 1998, and will be considered for adoption next June. Among the priorities that have been identified are child labour in hazardous working conditions and occupations, bonded child labour, child prostitution and trafficking of children. IPEC Pakistan aims to intensify its work in this regard, and both ILO and UNICEF are ready to support Pakistan's public and private initiatives towards that end.
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