We are clearly not doing enough for 'child labour' in spite of our pledges at national and international levels, Zobaida Jalal, Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education, said at a two-day National Conference here on Wednesday.
The conference was organised by 'Save the Children' in co-ordination with a local NGO, Sudhaar-ITA Alliance. Senior government officials, donor organisations, NGOs, media and civil society representatives attended the event.
The Minister said that the child labour is on rise in different parts of the country. She said that despite the reduction in poverty levels from 32 percent to 24 percent, additional 26 percent of the population are at risk of slipping into poverty. Thus 50 percent of households in Pakistan or 80 million people are a potential source of child labour, who may forgo their right to education. Save the Children's project in such situation has demonstrated a bridging programme approach between formal and non-formal education. "The government of Pakistan is fully committed to public-private partnerships and welcomes support from global partners in addressing the rights of children", she said.
The Minister shared government's efforts on progressive elimination of child labour and immediate eradication of the worst forms of child labour through education and training initiatives through a National Plan of Action.
Urging the institutions and universities to conduct more focused and qualitative research on child labour, she stressed the need for regular household surveys to monitor and track the trend more closely.
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