There are 3.3 million children working in the country as per 1996 survey on child labour, Society for the Protection of Rights of Child (Sparc) has claimed here on Wednesday. "No survey on child labour was conducted in Pakistan after 1996 due to which authentic estimates on child labour in the country is not possible."
In a media workshop organised by Sparc here at Quetta Press Club, National Manager Sparc (Child Labour Unit) Gulnaz Zahid said that according to estimation of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), number of working children in Pakistan is between 11-12 million and half of them is under age of 10.
She maintained that the International Labour Organis-ation (ILO) had estimated in 2010 that 70 million children were working as labourers in Pakistan. She recalled that last survey on child labour was conducted in Bangladesh in 2005-6, in Sri Lanka in 2009 and in Nepal in 2011.
Regional Director, Ministry of Human Rights, Saeed Ahmed Khan said that types of child labour included children in beggary and rag-picking, children working in mines and brick kilns, children working in chemicals and children working with heavy machines in industries.
Regional Manager Sparc Balochistan, Hanif Khan Panezai emphasised the need to establish child protection unit and appointment of child protection officer in every district of Balochistan. He regretted that Balochistan was a province where no single law on child protection existed.
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