HWA For Protecting Children From Worst Forms Of Child Labour

HYDERABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jun, 2023 ) :President Hari Welfare Association Akram Khaskheli said that Sindh has introduced better laws to minimize child labour and reduce the number of out-of-school children.

In a statement in the context of world child labour day, he said that in the last 10 years, from 2013 to 2023, around 3727 children along with their adult family members were released from the custody of landlords in Sindh which constitute 34 %of the total bonded labourers released in the agriculture sector.

President Hari Welfare Association (HWA) Akran Khaskheli said that in 2022, the total number of released children in the agriculture sector was 198, which is the lowest reported data as compared to the previous years.

The main cause of the lowest reporting of bonded labour cases was to draw the attention of the media to rain and flood catastrophes started from August 2022.

He said that most 73 children in 2022 were released from the Umerkot district.

In the brick kiln sector in Sindh, of the total reported cases of released bonded labourers in 2022, 93 were children.

He further said that Sindh had about 1.7 million bonded labourers in Sindh; of these, over 700,000 children were bonded labourers working under indecent and inhuman working and living conditions imposed by their landlords in the agriculture sector.

It further added that in Sindh 6.4 million out-of-schoolchildren- most of them are engaged in child labour.

He added that out of the 29, the District Vigilance Committees are formed in 19 districts. However, work process these DVCs were not reported to be involved in the release and rehabilitation of the bonded labourers released through court orders.

This raises concerns about the effectiveness and role of the DVCs in addressing the issue of bonded labour. In all of the instances, the police raided the landowners' and brick kilns' properties and brought peasants and brick kiln workers' family members before the courts.

HWA claimed that child labour increased after the floods in August 2022 but the Sindh government's Resettlement and Rehabilitation Policy (2022) did not address the needs and rights of children in rural areas especially those engaged in agricultural activities in indecent working conditions.

The statement also said that Sindh has introduced better laws to minimize child labour and reduce the number of out-of-school children. However, it is worst at implementing the same.

HWA President urged Sindh Child Protection Authority to safeguard the rights and to work for the welfare of children to protect them from the worst forms of child labour being taken in different forms.