ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi said that challenge of child labour could be overcome by promoting social justice and ensuring provision of quality education to children. “World Day against Child Labour is observed all over world to raise awareness for prevention of child labour and encourage stakeholders to speak against this social evil,” President said in message on observance of Day on June 12.

President said that child labour was growing curse in world, as according to United Nations, around 160 million children were forced into child labour. “Globally, one out of every 10 children is working.”

He said although child labour had been reduced on international level, still there was dire need for further efforts to eradicate social evil.

He emphasised that poverty, wars, terrorism and lack of access to education were basic causes of child labour, adding that basic causes needed to be overcome to completely eradicate challenge. He said poverty forced families to get their children to engage in work at an early age.

Child labour, President Alvi said deprived children from receiving basic education and access to health facilities. It exposed them to harmful and hazardous environments and clipped their basic rights to life and liberty, he added. An estimated 27 million children did not go to school in Pakistan, he said, adding that in Pakistan, legislation was being made to eliminate child labour from country.

He said in Pakistan, child labour was completely banned and government was providing educational scholarships to discourage child labour and attract children towards education.

President Alvi stressed need to speed up efforts to promote protection of children’s rights and eliminate child labour from country. He stressed that government, society, private sector, media, employers and civil society should work together and play their due role in eliminating child labour.

Published in The Daily National Courier, June, 13 2023

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