ISLAMABAD: Law and policy reforms can play a powerful constitutive and transformative role in improving and changing the lives of child domestic workers.
‘Search for Justice’, a Civil Society Organization working with a mission of empowering Child Rights and protection work in Pakistan urged federal and provincial governments to introduce exclusive and comprehensive legislations to prohibit Child Domestic Labour, as a long-term strategy.
Search for Justice also proposed Governments of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan should put child domestic labour under schedule of Hazardous occupations in their provincial child labour laws through issuance of notification, as recently done by Federal Government.
This was discussed during a Provincial dialogue followed by the dissemination of Policy Brief on Child Domestic Labour developed through consultative processes by the Child Rights Organization.
Iftikhar Mubarik Executive Director Search for Justice shared that Child domestic labour is one of the most pressing child rights issue in Pakistan and yet also the most neglected one. In practice, it amounts to an absolute control of the employer over the child’s living and working conditions, health and well-being.
He mentioned that from January 2020 to November 2020 around 50 cases of torturing to Child Domestic Workers have been reported in media which in sufficient evidence that domestic labour is hazardous occupation for children.
The Punjab Government has enacted The Domestic Workers Act since 2019 and after a period of two year there is no single example of awarding punishment to those who employed children as domestic workers.
He added that in the light of recommendations made by UN bodies federal and provincial governments must take all possible administrative measures including strengthening labour inspection system for implementation of available laws for curbing the menace of child domestic labour.
This form of modern-day slavery must not be tolerated as this is a major reason of depriving children from right to education, identity, contact with parents, and causing physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and murders in some cases.
Rashida Qureshi Program Coordinator Search for Justice and Child Rights Movement Punjab Currently mentioned that accurate statistics regarding the numbers of children working as domestic workers in Pakistan are not available.
No specific surveys were ever conducted to gauge the accurate statistics of child domestic workers. Despite the lack of credible data, the number of child domestic workers in Pakistan appears to be on the rise every day. Although, the domestic work is a highly gendered sector of employment, traditionally regarded as “women’s work” because of its focus on cooking, house-cleaning, child care, and other tasks carried out within the home, we guesstimate that boys are also largely if not equally employed to do the mentioned chores.
She mentioned that it is very important and need of the time to sensitize parents on how dangerous could be domestic labour for the development and survival of their children. She particularly demanded Government of the Punjab to develop rules of “The Punjab Domestic Workers Act 2019” and bring about all possible administrative actions to ensure the effective implementation of Child Labour Laws including “The Punjab Domestic Workers Act 2019.
Baela Raza Jamil Chief Executive Officer of Idara Taleem o Agahi shared that every citizen must stand up against this injustice with minor children if they witness any child is working in the home of any of their friends or relatives.
A child engaged in domestic labour lives a life of social exclusion and does not has an opportunity to meet their friends, parents and siblings which cause the unrepairable psychological damage.
There is also dire need to strengthen social protection programs and schemes to target those living in extreme poverty situations for enabling them to send their children to school instead of domestic labour, said by Baela Raza.
Legal expert and former secretary supreme court bar association Shamim Malik endorsed the suggestion for making cruelty to child as non-bailable and non-compoundable offense under Section 328-A of Pakistan Penal Code 1860.
This is very much unfortunate that beside reporting of around 60 cases only one year of Cruel treatment with Child Domestic Labourers only in Tayyaba torture case where Chief Justice of Pakistan tool suomoto notice, the responsible were held accountable and sent to jail otherwise there is no second example of convicting the abusers under section 328-A of PPC, said by Shamim Malik.
Muhammad Shahid Assistant Director Labour Department shared that in total 29289 inspection visits were in 1771 cases Child Labour was recorded and 1643 FIRs has been lodged against those who contravene the law. With regards to Child Domestic Labour it is of course difficult for labour department to inspect homes, like other work establishments, as this will become the issue of sanctity of home, anyhow if we receive any complaint the concerned authorized officers can inspect the home.
Rizwan Ahmad Assistant Director Child Protection & Welfare Bureau also shared that they intervened in number of cases where a child was subject to physical abuse by employers and registers FIRs against perpetrators.
He appealed that if anyone see a child is facing any form of violence, abuse of exploitation can helpline 1121 so the CPWB can assist that child with all possible means.
