An Anti-Bonded Labour Cell (ABLC) has been set up in the District Labour Office to provide necessary assistance and legal support to bonded labourers (Bhatta Mazdoor) and eradicate the bonded labour system from Multan. Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Zahid Thebo said that the Cell would act as a focal point against the bonded labour, become reporting centre for the victims, their families and the NGOs working in this field and response to the complaints from any labourers for the redress of his or her grievances.
He said the first anti-bonded labour Cell was established in Mirpurkhas Sindh with the help of SPARC in 2009 and it is the third cell in Pakistan and the first in South Punjab. So far SPARC has released 13,526 bonded labourers. Mehmood Javed Bhatti, Executive District Officer, Community Development presided over the programme while Nusrat Kamal District Officer Labour Multan, Qaisar Khan, Mrs Sundas Khalid from ActionAid, Shahzaman from Justice and Peace Commission Multan, Hyacinth Peter and Saman from SPARC also spoke on the occasion.