Child labour today remains one of the most rapacious forms of exploitation of man by man and in many instances it implies another form of slavery as the beneficiaries become richer at the expense of the future of innocent children.
Predatory employers take advantage of children who come from a poverty-stricken background paying them a pittance for long gruelling hours of work without any long term benefits and violating labour practices at will. At the same time the children are deprived of having a sound education and as such cannot escape the vicious circle of exploitation and this become destined, in many cases, to a life of permanent poverty and suffering.
In this regard the announcement by the Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir of intensification of training for Labour Officers to increase policing of this scourge is a most welcome one because if we are to become a society where justice and respect for human rights becomes the norm then all forms of this scourge will have to be eradicated .
According to the minister there has been a significant increase in the number of labour inspections, disclosing that in 2008 there were over 3,000 up from 900 in 2006 while for the first half of this year there has already reached some 2,000.
It is universally accepted that our children are the future of the world and therefore society has a moral obligation to protect them from social evils and to nurture them so that they can become the future leaders and builders of national pride and dignity.
However, the minister alluded to very pertinent and universally accepted measures to deal effectively with the problem of child labour. He pointed out that trade unions, employers, parents and community members have to join in to help curb this scourge, and that the only way to escape the poverty trap is through education.
The United Nations is urging improved access to education as the appropriate response to address the plight of the estimated 165 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 worldwide who are involved in child labour.
“Despite global progress in many areas, it is unacceptable that so many children must still work for their survival and that of their families,” Juan Somavia, Director-General of the UN International Labour Organization (ILO), said today on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour.
The ILO’s International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) says that of some 218 million child labourers around the world, millions are either denied educational opportunities that would give them a better future or must balance work with education.
“For too many children, particularly children of poor families across the world, the right to education remains an abstract concept, far from the reality of daily life,” Mr. Somavia stated.
He noted that more than 70 million primary school-aged children are not enrolled in school. Many of these and other out-of-school children start working at an early age, often well below the minimum age of employment. And when a family has to make a choice between sending either a boy or girl to school, it is often the girl who loses out.
“Our challenge is to offer hope to the child labourers of the world by making their right a reality, ensuring that they have quality education and training which can lead them towards a future of decent work,” he said.
“This is essential to break the cycle of child labour and poverty. And it is a sound investment for individuals and society.”
To tackle child labour, ILO is urging governments to provide education for all children at least to the minimum age of employment, as well as education policies that reach out to child labourers and other excluded groups.
