Child labour situation

The National Child Labour survey,1 conducted in 1996 by the Federal Bureau of Statistics, found 3.3
million of the 40 million children (in the 5-14 years age group) to be economically active2 on a full-time
basis. Of the 3.3 million working children, 73 per cent (2.4 million) were boys and 27 per cent (0.9 million),
girls. Children's contribution to work in rural areas is about eight times greater than in urban areas. The
number of economically active children in the 10-14 years age group is more than four times the children
in the 5-9 years age group.

Rural children are mostly engaged in the agricultural sector (74 per cent), whereas in urban areas, most
working children (31 per cent) are engaged in the manufacturing sector. In both areas, the percentage
of girls working in manufacturing and services is higher than that of boys; this indicates that girls are
more likely to work in the manufacturing and services sectors as compared to boys. It is also observed

1
See summary results of the Child Labour Survey in Pakistan (1996): http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/simpoc/
pakistan/report/pakistan96.pdf. Survey undertaken with the support of the ILO.
2
Economic activity includes both paid and unpaid, casual and illegal work, as well as work in the informal sector, but excludes
unpaid domestic services within own household.

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 1

that in the non-agricultural sectors, most of the working children (93 per cent) are engaged in informal
activities.

A considerable proportion of the working children in the 5-14 years age group (46 per cent) are working
more than the normal working hours, i.e. 35 hours per week, with 13 per cent working 56 hours or
more per week. In urban areas, 73 per cent of the working children work more than the normal working
hours, which is significantly higher than in rural areas (42 per cent). This shows that working conditions
are generally worse in urban areas.

According to survey findings, the major factors responsible for child labour were:
● Large population with high population growth rate;
● Almost three-fourths (70 per cent) of the total population living in rural areas, with subsistence
agricultural activities;
● Low productivity and prevalence of poverty;
● Unpaid family helpers, especially in agricultural activities;
● Discriminating social attitude towards girls and women;
● Inadequate educational facilities.

Working children come from large families in the low-income bracket. The average household size of
working children was found to be eight members, which is higher than the national average. A higher
proportion of economically active girls falls under households with nine plus members. The survey
indicates that the most cogent reasons given by parents/guardians for letting their child work are to assist
in house enterprise (69 per cent), and to supplement the household income (28 per cent). The former
is pronounced in rural households, whereas the latter is more significant in urban families.

One-third of the working children are literate, which shows that mere completion of primary education
is not an effective deterrent to child labour. School enrolment indicates that economically active children
who are not enrolled in school (34.2 per cent) are higher than economically active children combined
with school (13.2 per cent). This shows that enrolment is negatively correlated with the involvement of
children in economic activity. Education attainment is low because of limited opportunities resulting from
inaccessibility of schools; inability of parents to afford schooling costs; irrelevance of school curriculum
to real needs, and restrictions on girls' mobility in certain parts of the country.

National legislation and policies against child labour

Legislation
Article 11 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan forbids slavery and states that no law shall permit or facilitate
its introduction into Pakistan in any form. Article 11 (2) prohibits all forms of forced labour and traffic
in human beings, Article 11 (3) prohibits employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory
or mine or any other hazardous employment.

Major national legislative developments include:

● The Employment of Children Act (ECA), 1991: Section 2 of the Act defines a 'child' to mean any
person who has not completed his fourteenth year. Prohibition Section 3 of the Act bans employment
of under-14 children in occupations connected with transport by railways, cinder picking, cleaning
of an ash pit or building operations in railway premises, catering at a railway station or on a train,
construction of a railway station, working close or between railway lines, working in a port area, and
manufacture or sale of fireworks. Part II prohibits employment of children in 13 specific sectors. The
prohibition against employing children in hazardous labour, and the regulations governing the working

2 International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

 conditions of children under 14 do not apply to family run establishments, and schools (training
institutes) established, assisted, or organized by the Government;

● The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992: The Act explicitly defines peshgi (or advance),
bonded debt, bonded labour, bonded labourer, bonded labour system, family, and nominal wages.
It considers any work done against peshgi as a form of bonded labour. The Act abolishes the bonded
labour system with immediate effect. It declares all bonded labour free and discharged from any
obligation to render any bonded labour, or any form of forced labour, or payment of debts. The Act
prohibits any person from extracting labour under forced conditions from anyone. All customs,
traditions, or contracts entered into before or after the commencement of the Act, pertaining to forced
labour or bonded labour, have been declared void and inoperative;

● The Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance (promulgated in October 2002):
This Ordinance applies to all children aged less than 18 years. It defines exploitative entertainment
as all activities in connection with human sports or sexual practices, and related abusive practices.
According to the Ordinance, human trafficking means recruiting, buying or selling a person, with or
without consent, by use of coercion, abduction, or by giving payment or share for such person's
transportation, for exploitative entertainment. The Ordinance prescribes severe terms of punishment
— 7-14 years' imprisonment — for perpetrators, depending on the degree of involvement in trafficking.
If criminal groups are involved, each member of the group is liable to the same punishment. Parents
guilty of the crime involving their own children are liable for the same punishment. The Ordinance
recognizes that all offences are cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable. The strong
measures recommended in the Ordinance are expected to check the incidence of human trafficking.

Pakistan is signatory to the:

● ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (No. 182);

● ILO Forced Labour Convention (No. 29);
● ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105);
● UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

Government policies and programmes

In 1998, the Government of Pakistan constituted a task force on child labour under the chairmanship
of the Federal Minister of Labour with the mandate of formulating policies and strategies for the
elimination of child and bonded labour in Pakistan and to prepare plans for the implementation of policies
and strategies. The National Policy and Plan of Action (NPPA) (May 2000) calls for progressive elimination
of child labour; immediate eradication of the worst forms of child labour; a monitoring system to implement
the National Plan of Action; prevention of child labour by offering alternative education, and ensuring
primary education and skills training to the target children.

The NPPA for the elimination of child labour focuses on awareness raising; withdrawal of children
engaged in the worst forms of child labour and their rehabilitation through education and vocational
training; community mobilization; situation analysis and development of a database on child labour; law
enforcement; capacity building of the relevant ministries/departments; enhancing education and skills
training opportunities for children; empowerment of poor families, and promoting coordination with
functional and social partners.

The following coordinating bodies and agencies are involved in the implementation of the NPPA:

● The Federal Ministry of Labour acts as a focal ministry responsible for necessary legislation; policy
development; awareness raising; liaising with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other
international bodies; providing a forum for exchange of information/experiences; national level
monitoring and situation analysis; follow-up of the implementation of the National Plan of Action
through the Permanent Advisory Committee, and development of a database on child labour;

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 3

● The Provincial Labour and Manpower Departments act as focal departments, special resource
centres are to be established in the labour departments;
● Workers' and employers' organizations, as well as NGOs are expected to identify problem areas
and suggest measures for advocacy, awareness raising and community mobilization, and the
rehabilitation of child workers;
● The ILO's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is expected to
provide technical and financial support to pilot programmes and to strengthen the institutional capacity
of the executing agencies.

Major strategies include enhancement of educational opportunities for working children through the
launching of crash literacy programmes for school dropouts and introducing apprenticeship, vocational
and skills development programmes; establishment of special resource centres in the Labour
Departments to act as focal points and to monitor and coordinate the activities, and activation of the
law enforcement agencies for immediate withdrawal of children working in hazardous and exploitative
situations supplemented by rehabilitation programmes. The Government of Pakistan has established a
fund for the education of working children and rehabilitation of freed bonded labour with an initial
endowment of PRs 100 million (approximately equivalent to US$ 2 million).

The Labour Policy, 2002, endorses the NPPA to combat child labour and states that the Government
of Pakistan has accepted the responsibility to enhance the age limit to 18 years with respect to the
worst forms of child labour, for entry into the labour market after ratification of the ILO Convention No.
182 in 2001. The Labour Policy plans to launch a need-based vocational training and human resource
development programme for new entrants in the labour market and on-job workers, and establish model
schools for the free education (12 years of schooling) of child workers. The laws relating to apprenticeship
training, vocational training, and rehabilitation of disabled persons shall be consolidated into a single
legislation titled the Human Resource Development Ordinance.

The Government of Pakistan, on 31 December 2003, released its Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper
(PRSP), titled 'Accelerating economic growth and reducing poverty: The road ahead'. The PRSP gives
due consideration to the issue of child labour in the planning of its targets. It clearly outlines its
commitment on child labour issues and states, "Although the government is committed to eliminate child
labour as reflected in the National Policy and Plan of Action to Combat Child Labour, it is pursuing a
policy of gradual elimination of all forms of child labour and immediate elimination of the hazardous and
exploitative forms of child labour under IPEC. To achieve this objective, certain specified target
programmes have been initiated."3

The Ministry of Education launched the National Plan of Action for Education for All (EFA) on 3 April
2003 for achieving universal primary education by 2015. Gender disparities are being narrowed through
mixed primary schools, compensatory programmes, and appointment of female teachers.4 According to
the EFA goals and targets, by 2015, all children, with special emphasis on girls and children in difficult
circumstances, should have access to completely free education. Secondly, it aims at eliminating gender
disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005, and achieving gender equality in education by
2015. In this regard, the Education Sector Reforms, 2001/05, also aims to address the needs of child
labourers.

The National Commission for Child Welfare and Development (NCCWD) has initiated a national pilot
project for the rehabilitation of children involved in labour. The project, called the National Project on
Rehabilitation of Child Labour, is aimed at the withdrawal of children from hazardous employment, the
rehabilitation of children through formal education, and the development of linkages between community
health services and recreational packages. Under the project, Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal has now set up more
than 80 centres to rehabilitate children working in hazardous occupations by imparting non-formal

3
PRSP 2003, p. 101.
4
Government of Pakistan (2003) Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper: Accelerating economic growth and reducing poverty: The road
ahead, p 69.

4 International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

education (NFE). Children are given a daily stipend of PRs 10 as an incentive, in addition to uniforms,
shoes, other clothing and means during school hours. Parents are paid PRs 4,100 per year.

Moreover, the post-Beijing National Plan of Action for Women, 1998, and the National Policy for the
Empowerment and Development of Women, 2002, both have a chapter on the girl child and refer in
particular to the needs of child labourers.

IPEC action
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the ILO and the Government of Pakistan
in 1994. The National Steering Committee (NSC) that has been created under this cooperation agreement
is chaired by the Federal Secretary for Labour. The NSC is comprised of representatives of the concerned
Federal ministries (social welfare, education, health, planning, finance), representatives of employers' and
workers' organizations, and NGOs.

The role of the NSC has been gradually changing from a forum for sharing of information and experience
to a coordinating body on child labour issues. This new role has become increasingly important since
different ministries have formed committees of their own to address the issue from their perspective.

After having signed the MoU with the Government of Pakistan, IPEC designed and funded a series of
action programmes and mini programmes to address child labour issues in various sectors with a diverse
group of implementing partners all over the country. The sectors where initial IPEC interventions were
made included carpet weaving, auto workshops, leather tanning, street children, beggars, and child
domestic workers. The action programmes were implemented in collaboration with government
departments, trade unions, employers' associations, and civil society organizations. A number of short
duration, mini programmes, including awareness workshops with a wide range of stakeholders,
recreational events, awareness films, and educational material, were supported to complement the
interventions being made through the action programmes.

Since 1997, IPEC has been designing broader types of intervention through IPEC projects on the
elimination of child labour. The first major project, which was funded by the US Department of Labour,
was initiated in Sialkot to eliminate child labour in the soccer ball industry.

Currently, there are six ongoing projects on the elimination of child labour, along with four core action
programmes, all part of the country programme financed by Germany.

Overview of ongoing projects

Elimination of Child Labour in the Soccer Ball Industry in Sialkot (Phase II)

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 2 years US Department of Labour (USDOL)
Starting date: August 2000 FIFA
Sialkot Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI)

The first phase of the programme to prevent and eliminate child labour in the soccer ball industry was
implemented from August 1997 to October 1999, after the signing of the Atlanta Agreement5 on 14
February 1997 by the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), UNICEF and the ILO.

5
In mid-1996, both the surgical instruments and soccer ball industries in Sialkot district in Punjab province were affected by the
US government's withdrawal of GSP (General System of Preferences) for Pakistan. The government and the private sector had
come under intense international pressure to take steps for the elimination of child labour, particularly in the country's export
industries. This has led to the signing in 1997 of the Atlanta Agreement, under which the first major programme on child labour
in Pakistan was initiated by addressing the child labour problem in the soccer ball industry.

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 5

The IPEC project has two main components: a workplace monitoring system, and a social protection
component, which provides educational opportunities to children who are withdrawn from working in the
soccer ball industry. During the project, 10,572 soccer ball stitching children were provided non-formal
education, among which 5,838 have been mainstreamed into formal schools. IPEC set up an external
monitoring system to ensure the elimination of child labour in the stitching centres of participating
manufacturers. The goal was achieved successfully primarily because of the active participation and
contribution of the SCCI members.

The soccer ball project has been one of the most innovative programmes of IPEC in many ways. First,
it has brought together a number of actors, including the local manufacturers and the SCCI, NGOs, and
international organizations. All these organizations have been working together to fulfil a common
objective — the prevention and elimination of child labour in the soccer ball industry in particular, and
in Sialkot in general. The programme has received wide publicity and created awareness on how to
address the child labour problem within Pakistan and abroad. Other manufacturers such as the Pakistan
Carpet Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association (PCMEA) and the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers'
Association of Pakistan (SIMAP) have adopted similar approaches to addressing the child labour problem
in their respective sectors.

The second phase of the project, which aims to consolidate the achievements and address the gaps
of programme implementation during the first phase, is currently in its final stage.

Combating Child Labour in the Carpet Industry (Phase II)

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 3 years US Department of Labour (USDOL)
Starting date: September 2002 Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and
Exporters Association (PCMEA)

The project, Combating Child Labour in the Carpet Industry in Pakistan, is based on an agreement signed
between the PCMEA (Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers' and Exporters' Association) and the ILO in 1998.
The agreement outlined the PCMEA-ILO partnership to eliminate child labour in the carpet industry in
Pakistan. The project, which started in 2002, aims to provide non-formal education, mainstreaming, and
pre-vocational education to about 23,000 carpet weaving children, and access to micro credit to the 1,000
poorest carpet weaving households. The first phase of the project was successfully implemented in three
districts (Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, and Hafizabad) and, in the second phase, the project has been
expanded to three other districts (Multan, Faisalabad, and Toba Tek Singh).

Again, the striking feature of the project is the active participation and contribution of funds by an
employers' association, the PCMEA. The PCMEA is working in close collaboration with the IPEC project
management to establish an internal monitoring system. A comprehensive survey and an occupational
safety and health study were carried out under the project. Carpet weaving is included in the national
list of 29 most hazardous occupations. The project is closely coordinated with the national Time-Bound
Programme (TBP) by a joint IPEC-Pakistan technical advisor (Chief Technical Advisor).

So far, the project has been able to withdraw/keep away around 13,000 carpet weaving children and
their siblings (83 per cent girls) from the hazardous working conditions. These children are now enrolled
in non-formal education centres, pursuing their primary education. In addition, micro credit totalling up
to US$110,000 has been provided to 705 carpet weaving families in rural areas. The repayment rate
is 100 per cent, which speaks for the efficiency of the micro enterprises established through these loans.
A prototype, ergonomic loom, which will improve the productivity of the adult labour, has been designed
and displayed at 30 model worksites. Awareness raising material, consisting of three training videos,
three booklets, and around 24,000 posters, focusing on occupational safety and health measures in
carpet weaving, have been produced and distributed. As a long-term impact, the project has sown the
seeds of community empowerment and created awareness about child labour and the value of education,
especially for girls.

6 International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

Combating Hazardous and Exploitative Child Labour in Surgical Instruments
Manufacturing (Phase II)

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 3 years Government of Italy
Starting date: July 2003 Surgical Instruments Manufacturers
Association of Pakistan (SIMAP)

The Atlanta Agreement was followed by an initiative taken by the Italian Social Partners for combating
child labour in the surgical instruments industry, with the collaboration of the ILO and SIMAP (Surgical
Instruments Manufacturers' Association of Pakistan) in Sialkot district. The project, titled Combating
Hazardous and Exploitative Child Labour in Surgical Instruments Manufacturing through Prevention,
Withdrawal, and Rehabilitation, was launched in 2000.

The project aimed to:

● Withdraw children from surgical instruments manufacturing, prevent their entry into surgical
instruments manufacturing and provide appropriate rehabilitation, prevention, and protection to the
children and families targeted by the programme;
● Strengthen the capacity of the social partners (employers' and workers' organizations) to prevent and
progressively eliminate child labour in the surgical instruments industry.

Over a period of two years, the project has contributed to the reduction of child labour in one of the
country's major export industries. Under its direct action programmes, 1,496 children employed in surgical
instruments production workshops have been provided non-formal education and pre-vocational training.
Attendance in these programmes has resulted in substantially reduced working hours for the children.
The education initiative has been complemented with action by the labour groups, particularly the All
Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions (APFTU) and the All Pakistan Federation of Labour (APFOL). They
have established contact with the target groups and concerned stakeholders and carried out a number
of activities aimed at raising awareness about the child labour problem in the surgical instruments
industry, and the need to address it.

In view of the lessons learned and experience gained so far, the project has been extended into a second
phase. In its second phase, the project has been expanded to cover larger numbers of children. Around
1,200 children, aged 14 years and below, working in the surgical instruments industry in Sialkot district,
have been targeted to benefit from the project through the provisions of non-formal education, pre-
vocational training and other support services. The second phase of the project will be completed in
June 2006.

Combating Child Labour through Education and Training in the North West
Frontier Province (Phase II)

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 3 years Swiss Agency for Development &
Starting date: September 2002 Cooperation (SDC)

Based in Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan, this project successfully
combines removal from hazardous work through rehabilitation and skills training for adolescents, with
prevention of child labour through the mobilization of teachers and development of curriculum in primary
schools. The project currently covers four districts of the NWFP — Peshawar, Nowshera, Charsadda,
and Mardan. The project is well placed to develop effective strategies to combat child labour. It combines
both governmental and non-governmental organizations to work in harmony for the cause. The project

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 7

is contributing towards:
● Production of skilled manpower;
● Raising basic educational levels for an intelligent citizenship;

● Increasing participation and retention of children in schools, particularly girls, during the basic
education cycle;

● Providing a more acceptable educational environment for the age range of affected children.

In the first phase, a step-by-step strategy was developed in which working children first joined
rehabilitation centres (RCs). At the RCs, they were either provided skills training or mainstreamed into
the educational system. Following a positive evaluation of the first phase, the project was expanded from
five to 30 RCs (increasing the target group from 720 to 2,500) and the following components were added:

● Community involvement in managing the RCs;

● Providing healthcare facilities for working and formerly working children, and conducting studies on
occupational safety and health risks;
● Training counsellors in vocational guidance and careers advice; preventive health and personal
hygiene, and sexual, physical and drug abuse;
● Linking skills training more closely to the local labour market by conducting surveys on skills needed
and offering access to apprenticeships after skills training;

● Providing alternative income programmes for families, especially mothers;

● Mobilizing parents and communities through parent teacher associations (PTAs);

● Mobilizing policy makers, law enforcement agencies and social partners;

● Focusing in particular on gender issues by ensuring that 50 per cent in each of the target groups
is female.

The project model has generated the interest of donors. DANIDA (Danish International Development
Agency) has approved funding for the expansion of project activities to district Swat and lower district.

During Phase II, which ran until June 2004, the project successfully achieved the following targets:

● 31 RCs, enrolling 2,285 children, have been established;

● Teachers' training manual for RC teachers has been developed and 80 teachers trained in teaching
methodologies;
● Training standards for pre-vocational and vocational training have been developed and implemented
in auto engine repair, tailoring and dress making, furniture making, and domestic electric wiring;
● A total of 532 children have received pre-vocational and vocational training at the Government
Technical Training Centre;
● A database on the target group of the project has been developed to monitor the children's progress
and keep track of the children;

● A manual on child labour laws has been developed to sensitize the law enforcement agencies;

● Manuals on basic health, as well as on occupational safety and health, have been developed for
working children and their employers;
● The concept of evening classes for working children in the formal education system has been
approved by the Directorate of Schools and Literacy, GoNWFP, Peshawar.

8 International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

Activating Media in Combating Child Labour

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 2 years NORAD
Starting date: July 2003 German Funding
Government of Pakistan (Free air time on
state-run television and radio channels)

In July 2003, IPEC, together with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and its corporate agencies,
Pakistan Television (PTV) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), launched a two-year project,
titled Activating Media in Combating Child Labour. This project aims at undertaking the capacity building
of media managers, and national television and radio producers to produce media products such as
plays, drama serials, talk shows, discussion fora, and songs and jingles on child labour issues. A project
coordinating committee led by the Secretary of Information, and including representatives of the Ministry
of Labour and the National Commission on Child Welfare and Development, the managing director of
Pakistan Television, and the general manager of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, has been formed
to oversee the project's activities. A project creative team has also been constituted for programming.
The team includes programme directors from television and radio, and representatives of the Ministries
of Labour and Information. The media project is an integrated part of the project of support for the national
Time-Bound Programme (TBP) on the worst forms of child labour. Its main role consists of highlighting
the concerns about the worst forms of child labour in the media. Various production houses in the private
and public sectors are developing media products that will be aired from the last quarter of 2004.

Project of Support for the National Time-Bound Programme (TBP) to Help

Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labour from Pakistan

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 4 years US Department of Labour (USDOL)
Starting date: October 2003

In November 2003, IPEC launched its new initiative, called Project of Support for the National Time-
Bound Programme (TBP) to Help Eliminate the Worst Forms of Child Labour from Pakistan. This Project
of Support aims at assisting the Government of Pakistan to concretise its national TBP to implement
the ILO Convention No. 182 and eliminate the worst forms of child labour. The Project has both upstream
and downstream interventions. In its downstream intervention, the Project directly targets the community
level through the provision of social protection to an estimated 11,800 children working in hazardous
sectors by providing non-formal education, literacy, pre-vocational and skills training in non-hazardous
occupations, and awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH) related issues, in seven targeted
districts across the four provinces of Pakistan. Via the upstream interventions, the Project assists the
Government of Pakistan in revising the Employment of Children Act, 1991, the National Policy and the
Plan of Action to Combat Child Labour to reflect the Government's commitment under the ILO Convention
No. 182, apart from other policy level interventions.

Combating Child Trafficking for Labour and Sexual Exploitation (Phase II, Pakistan
Chapter)

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 3 years US Department of Labour (USDOL)
Starting date: October 2002

The IPEC Project on Combating Child Trafficking for Labour and Sexual Exploitation (TICSA Project)
is in its second phase and operational in six countries, namely Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan,

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 9

Thailand, and Indonesia. In its Pakistan component, this regional Project has three interventions. Firstly,
research has been carried out to determine the extent and nature of trafficking of children and women
for labour and sexual exploitation in Pakistan. It is expected that this report will be finalized by the end
of 2004. Secondly, an action programme has been instituted with the National Commission for Child
Welfare and Development and the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women Development and Special
Education. This action programme was commissioned in August 2004 and aims at capacity building,
advocacy, and awareness raising for prevention of child trafficking in two districts of Southern Punjab
and Upper Sindh, and the vulnerable communities in these districts. Thirdly, a second research study
has been commissioned to determine the demand side of trafficking of children and women in Pakistan
for labour and sexual exploitation. This will become part of the regional study, which includes all other
countries in the Project barring Thailand, which has already been covered in a similar study under a
separate IPEC project.

Preventing and Eliminating Exploitative Child Domestic Work in South Asia

Time-frame Donor(s)
Duration: 2 years Government of Netherlands
Starting date: March 2004

In April 2001, under the IPEC core action programmes, an initiative was launched in collaboration with
the Federal Ministry of Women Development, Social Welfare and Special Education, to address the issue
of child domestic labour (CDL) in Pakistan, under the Ministry's programme to assist children in especially
difficult circumstances. This project was implemented in three urban centres in Pakistan with the aim
of developing a knowledge base on the issue of child domestic labour, to impart non-formal education
to child domestic labourers and to provide them with vocational training, and to develop national capacity
to deal with the issue effectively. The programme was originally designed for two years ending in May
2003, but it has now been provided with a budget extension till August 2004. The new project is an
extension and expansion of the previous one, which seeks to synthesise and build upon the good
practices, lessons, and experiences of the last project and includes innovations for greater outreach and
impact. The programme's approach is multipronged, integrated, unified, and holistic, recognising that the
problem of CDL is complex. It seeks to address the issue of:
● A reliable knowledge base that will contribute to sound public planning;
● Invisibility and public awareness;
● Remaining outside the ambit of the national employment related legislation framework;
● Inadequate access to education facilities;
● Lack of marketable skills for an alternative occupation.

The major thrust of the project has been to work with the ILO's traditional social partners, particularly
the Government and trade unions. The Government's structures and institutions mandated to work on
child welfare are the frontline implementers of the action programmes, while advocacy and social
mobilization are carried out through trade unions, along with the media and elected representatives. The
project is closely linked to the media project mentioned earlier, and is being implemented in five cities
of Pakistan.

Other ongoing activities

In biennium 2000/01, the IPEC launched ten core action programmes as part of the country programme
funded by Germany in different areas of Pakistan. Workers', employers' as well as Government
organizations are implementing these core action programmes across Pakistan in different labour market
sectors, i.e. brick kilns, restaurants/hotels, child domestic labour, auto workshops, etc. Most of the core
action programmes have direct interventions for working children, their families, community, and
workplaces. Half of the core action programmes have already been completed successfully in 2003 and

10 International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour

some more have been completed in August 2004. Only two of the core action programmes will continue
till the first quarter of 2005 (SITE Karachi and PNTLGWF Multan).

Other initiatives against child labour

The ILO's Social Finance Department is undertaking a project titled Prevention of Family Indebtedness
with Micro Finance and Related Services, which aims to prevent freed peasants and other vulnerable
families in three districts of Sindh province from falling back into bondage, by reducing their economic
and social vulnerability through enabling provisions such as micro finance services, awareness raising,
group formation, education, and health services. The ILO's Declaration Department has offered additional
assistance to the Government of Pakistan in the eradication of bonded labour. With the support of the
ILO, the Ministry of Labour has completed rapid assessments of bonded labour in ten sectors. These
will be followed by detailed sector studies and a national survey to determine the incidence of bonded
labour. During 2003, the ILO initiated a longer term action for assistance to the Government of Pakistan,
including revision of the National Plan of Action, the need to seek broad public support, active solicitation
of donor agency funding for the ILO project, and immediate initiation of concrete steps to address the
problem.

Besides the ILO projects, there have been other initiatives addressing the child labour issues in Pakistan.
These initiatives have been supported by international organizations such as Save the Children UK, Save
the Children Sweden, CIDA, DFID and local NGOs. Two of the notable projects addressing child labour
issues are the multifaceted project on children working in the carpet industry managed by Thardeep
in Tharparkar district in Sindh, and the children resource centre for working children established by the
Sindh Education Foundation in Karachi.

Documented in November 2004

International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour 11