Child Labor Long Report

Business Communication ================================= Child Labour

INTRODUCTION Who is a Child? International conventions define children as aged 18 and under. Individual governments may define "child" according to different ages or other criteria. "Child" and "childhood" are also defined differently by different cultures. A "child" is not necessarily delineated by a fixed age. Social scientists point out that child’s abilities and maturities vary so much that defining a child's maturity by calendar age can be misleading.

Child Labor Child labor is the employment of children at regular and sustained labor. "Child labor" is; generally speaking, work for children that harm them or exploits them in some way physically, mentally, morally, or by blocking access to educat education ion.. UNICEF UNICEF define definess child child labor as work work that exceed exceedss a minimum minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work. Such work is considered harmful to the child and should therefore be eliminated. There is no universally accepted definition of child labor. Varying definitions of the the term term are are used used by inter internat nation ional al organ organiz izat ation ions, s, no nonn-gov gover ernm nment ental al organizations, trade unions and other interest groups. Writers and speakers don't always speak what definition they are using and that often leads to confusion.

Fig. 1.2.1 Children working

CAUSES OF CHILD LABOR Children start work when they are too young, or take on work that is hazardous, for many reasons. Children in developing countries do so because they and their families families need the extra income. Indeed, many end up working unpaid for their employers in exchange for their board and lodging. In contrast, children in

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industr industriali ialized zed countri countries, es, seek seek work work for quite quite differe different nt reasons reasons,, usually usually to establish financial independence from their parents. Here we focus on children who are driven into the world of work by poverty. However, even for poor families families there are decisions decisions to make about what work children children should take on. Pare Parent ntss rare rarely ly wish wish to expo expose se thei theirr chil childr dren en to dang danger er,, bu butt may may see see no alternative. All too often, both parents and young people are unaware of the risks involved.

The main causes or reasons for creating child labor OVER POPULATION: Most of the Asian and African countries are overpopulated. Due to limited resources and more mouths to feed, Children are employed in various forms of work. ILLITERACY: Illiterate parents do not realize the need for a proper physical, emotional and cognitive development of a child. As they are uneducated, they do not realize the importance of education for their children. POVERTY: Many a time poverty forces parents to send their children to hazardous jobs. Although they know it is wrong, they have no other alternative as they need the money. URBANIZATION: The Industrial Revolution Revolution has its own negative side. Many a time MNC's and export industries in the developing world employ while workers, particularly in the garment industry. UNEMPLOYMENT OF ELDERS: Elders often find it difficult to get jobs. The industrialists and factory owners find it profitable to employ children. This is so because they can pay less and extract more work. They will also not create union problem. ORPHANS: Children born out of wedlock, children with no parents and relatives, often do not find anyone to support them. Thus they are forced to work for their own living. WILLINGNESS TO EXPLOIT CHILDREN: This is at the root of the problem Even if a family is very poor; the incidence of child labor will be very low unless there are people willing to exploit these children. FAMILY BACKGROUND: Families break down for many reasons, leaving the household short of income. Sometimes divorce leaves one parent looking after more children than she or he can afford to feed. Divorce is sometimes brought about by domestic violence, which also directly drives children to leave home when they are still young. The death of either parent precipitates economic disaster for many households. Families also lose their livelihood as a result of natural disasters and human crises that leave people destitute and force children to start earning.

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DISCRIMINATION AGAINST MINORITY GROUPS: Some children also leave school and start work earlier than others because of their origin or identity. In Latin America, indigenous children start work first. In South Asia, the caste system determines that children from dalit families (who have low status in the caste hierarchy) or adivasi (tribal or indigenous) communities start work first or do not attend school at all. “NIMBLE FINGERS”: In the country with the largest number of child labourers in the world, India, adults justify the involvement of children in certain jobs on the grounds that only they have the “nimble fingers” which enable them to give special attention to detail. Some sorts of work, they argue, cannot be performed by adults. This is just one of many myths used to justify the numbers of children working today, myths which offer largely spurious arguments but strike a chord with local public opinion and come to be believed because they are repeated so often. INADEQUATE LAWS: More than 130 countries have signed an international convention saying that children may not work full-time before 14 or 15 years of age. However, in some of the countries concerned, laws on this are confusing or vague and not enforced. There are particular difficulties when laws are inconsistent – for example, one dictating that children must remain in school until they are 12, while another decrees that they may not start work until 14: the inconsistency is almost bound to precipitate children into the labour market before they reach the legal minimum age POOR INFRASTRUCTURE: Another factor is the practical difficulty of establishing a child’s actual age in countries countries where the infrastructur infrastructuree may not be in place for e.g. systematic systematic birth registration. registration. This can disadvantage disadvantage children in many ways – law enforcers enforcers are hampered because they do not have the means to absolutely establish the ages of e.g. teenagers, and, without appropriate documentation, young people may also be denied access to state services such as schools. THE ROLE OF EDUCATION: EDUCATION: Children who receive little or no school education miss out on the knowledge that that can can crea create te option optionss for for them them later later in life. life. Witho Without ut it, it, they they make make less less contribution as adults and are more exposed to exploitation and abuse. Not attending school is consequently both a cause and effect of child labour. Thee short Th shortcom coming ingss of exis existin ting g schoo schooll syste systems ms rema remain in a major major fact factor or that that “pushes” children on to the labour market when they are too young. Sending children to school does not come without a cost. In many countries, parents still pay a fee for their children to attend primary school, as well as buying books and providing a school uniform. For a poor family these are significant costs, alongside the lack of income for the household while a child is at school.

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Historical Background The majority of the world’s children do some work every day, usually in the form of household chores or an after school job, which develop skills and a sens sensee of resp respon onsib sibili ility ty.. Howe Howeve ver, r, accor accordin ding g to the the Inte Intern rnat ation ional al Labo Labor r 390 mill million ion child-workers Orga Organi niza zati tion on (ILO (ILO)) the the har harsh real realit ity y is that that 390 worldwide are involved in activities that are either hazardous, excessive or where their employers exploit them. Inevitably, the emotional, physical and psychological effects for these children can be extremely damaging and such work leaves little or no time for play or school. The rise of the factory system in the nineteenth century led to widespread employment of children as cheap laborers. In United States, child labor was uncontroversial in the colonial period, as children worked on family farms or would enter into trade apprenticeships between ages 10 and 14. Educational reform reformers ers in the mid-ni mid-ninet neteent eenth h centur century y pressed pressed for legisla legislatio tion n that would would establish wage minimums and school attendance requirements. These efforts at the social protection of children were stymied by the influx of southern and easte eastern rn Europe European an immi immigr grant ants, s, the the patch patchwo work rk qu qual ality ity of Amer Americ ican an stat statee legislation and the powerful interests who sought, for economic reasons, to confine the protective legislation. Child labor grew such that by 1900, 18 percent of 10-15 year olds the official figure of 1.75 million were employed. One-quarter of southern cotton mill employees were under 15 half of these child childre ren n were were un unde derr 12 12.. After After the Civil Civil War, War, the the avai availa labil bility ity of natu natura rall resou resourc rces es,, new new inven inventio tions ns,, and and a rece recepti ptive ve mark market et comb combine ined d to fuel fuel an industrial boom. The demand for labor grew, and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries many children were drawn into the labor force. Factory wages were so low that children often had to work to help support their families. Businesses liked to hire children because they worked in unskilled jobs for lower wages than adults, and their small hands made them more adept at handling small parts and tools. By the early 1900s many Americans were calling child labor "child slavery" and and were were dema demandi nding ng an end end to it. They argued argued that that long long hou hours rs of work work deprived deprived children of the opportunity of an education to prepare prepare themselves for a better future. Instead, child labor condemned them to a future of illiteracy, poverty, and continuing misery. The National Child Labor Committee was organi organized zed in 1904 to address address the problem. problem. In 1904 a group of progressi progressive ve reformers founded the National Child Labor Committee, an organization whose goal was the abolition abolition of child labor. The organization received received a charter charter from Congress in 1907. It hired teams of investigators to gather evidence of children working in harsh conditions and then organized exhibitions with photographs and statistics to dramatize the plight of these children. Along with numerous state child labor groups, the movement "pioneered the techniques of mass politi political cal action, action, includin including g investig investigati ations ons by expert experts, s, the widespr widespread ead use of photography to dramatize the poor conditions of children at work, pamphlets, leaflets leaflets and mass mailings to reach the public and sophisticated sophisticated lobbying. lobbying. The 4


number of children under the age of 15 who worked in industrial jobs for wages climbed from 1.5 million in 1890 to 2 million in 1910. These efforts efforts resulted resulted in the establishment establishment in 1912 of the Children's Bureau as a fede federa rall infor informa mati tion on clea cleari ringh nghous ouse. e. In 191 1913 3 the Chil Childr dren' en'ss Bure Bureau au was was transferred to the Department of Labor. When Congress passed federal child labor labor laws laws in 19 1916 16 and and 19 1918, 18, they they were were decla declare red d uncon unconsti stitut tution ional al by the the Supreme Court. By 1920 the number of child laborers was cut to nearly half of what it had been in 1910. Child labor opponents managed to press for Congressional passage of a constitutional constitutional amendment amendment authorizing authorizing federal child labor legislation in 1924 church groups and farm organizations prevented ratification. But Child labor came under the international spotlight in the 1990s. For the first time the industrialized world’s diplomats and economists started discussi discussing ng why vast number numberss of childr children en were were working working rather than being being educated, and what should be done about it. The focus was on developing countries. This new attention to an old issue was largely due to worries raised by people people in industr industriali ialized zed countri countries es such such as the United United Kingdom Kingdom.. Trade Trade unionists, politicians and campaigners for social justice voiced concern that jobs were disappearing rapidly as businesses switched production from the industr industriali ialized zed world world to develop developing ing countr countries ies where where labor labor costs costs were were much much lower. Simultaneously, organizations in developing countries sounded the alarm when they saw children working longer and longer hours not only producing goods for export, but also providing a cheap and malleable workforce for the local economy. As more attention was given to the work children were performing, so the statistics about the numbers involved became more startling. In the early 1990s, the number of children between 5 and 14 in full-time employment had been 100 million but by 1996 it was 120 million.

HOW MANY CHILD LABOUR ARE THERE? The ILO estimates, "246 million child workers aged 5 and 17 were involved in child labor, of which 171 million were involved in work that by its nature is hazardous to their safety, physical or mental health, and moral development. Moreover, some 8.4 million children were engaged in so-called 'unconditional' worst forms of child labor, which include forced and bonded labor, the use of childr children en in armed armed conflic conflict, t, traffi traffickin cking g in childre children n and commer commercia ciall sexual sexual exploitation." However, it decreased into 218 million or roughly 11 percent in 2004. This only means that the international action done world wide was able to fight child labor and has been very effective in its course of actions.

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Myths on Child Labor According to UNICEF (1997), there are four myths that surround the issue of child labor and these are the followings: Child Labor is only a problem of developing countries found in the region of Africa, Asia and Latin America. America. This may be expected due to the prevailing economic conditions of these countries, still pockets of child labor can be found in highly industrialized countries such as US etc. •

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Child Labor will never be eliminated until poverty disappears. UNICEF points out that child labor should be eliminated interdependently of pov pover erty ty.. Even Even the the po poor ores estt count countri ries es shou should ld do their their best best so as to decrease the number of child labor cases. Child laborers only work on export industries. Only a small portion of child labor cases work in export industries, only about 9%. Most child workers can be found in the informal sectors of society, out in the streets, streets, work in agriculture agriculture or hidden in every home – far from the eyes of labor inspectors. The on The only ly way way to elimi elimina nate te child child labor labor is for for the govern governme ment nt and and consumers to pose sanctions and boycotts. This will not really help at all and will just make the problem worst. Likewise, it doesn’t give a huge impact since portions of child labor cases are found in that sector. A comprehensiv comprehensivee strategy strategy that supports supports and develops local initiatives initiatives and provides alternatives is the only proper seen by UNICEF should be done in order to combat child labor.

FACTS & FIGURES OF CHILD LABOR IN ASIA AND WORLDWIDE According to estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in their report of June 2006, the numbers of children working aged 5 to 14 is: •

Globally 190 million

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In Asia 122 million

In sub-Saharan sub-Saharan Africa 50 million. million. In fact 26 percent of all children work here •

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In Latin America 5 million.

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In the rest of the world 13 million.

Across Across Africa Africa,, there there are an estimat estimated ed 80 million million child workers, a number that could rise to 100 million by 2015.

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STATICTICS ABOUT CHILD LABOR •

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The vast majority of working children about 70 per cent work in the agriculture sector. Sub-Saharan Africa has an estimated 48 million child workers. Almo Almost st on onee chil child d in thr three (29 (29 per per cent cent)) belo below w the the age age of 15 is economically active,15 per cent of children in the Middle East and North Africa are working; approximately 2.5 million and 2.4 million chil childr dren en are are work workin ing g in deve develo lop ped and and tran transi siti tion on econ econom omie iess respectively. A recent UNICEF survey in 25 countries in just one region, sub-Saharan Africa Africa,, reveal revealed ed that that almost almost one-th one-third ird of the working working childre children n aged aged between 5 and 14 were involved in the “unconditional worst forms” of child labor. In addition, almost 10 per cent were working for more than 43 hours a week, threatening their wellbeing. The incidence of child labor is highest in Africa, where 41% of 5- to 14year-olds are known to work, compared with 21% in Asia and 17% in Latin America and the Caribbean. Never Neverthe theles less, s, with its higher higher pop populat ulation ion,, Asia has the largest largest total total number of working Children, 60 per cent of the world’s total. Official figures produced by the ILO indicate that at least 200 million young children under the age of 15 are working to support themselves and their families. The actual total may be twice as high.

TYPES OF CHILD LABOR Child Labor is not only found in factories, but also in many other places. Their %age is; •

Agricultural Labor 67%

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Wholesale9%

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Manufacturing ex. industry 11%

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Personal/Social Services-8%

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Others-5% Fig.7.1 Distribution of economically active children (N03.3 million) in the labour force of Pakistan

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Efforts against child labor The Inte The Intern rnat atio ional nal Labo Laborr Orga Organi niza zatio tion’ n’ss Inte Intern rnat ation ional al Progr Program amme me on the the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) was created in 1992 with the overall goal of the progressive elimination of child labor, which was to be achieved through strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labor. IPEC currently has operations in 88 countries, with an annual expenditure on technical cooperation projects that reached over US$61 million in 2008. It is the largest Programme of its kind globally and the biggest single operational Programme of the ILO. The number and range of IPEC’s partners have expanded over the years and now include employers’ and workers’ organizations, other international and governm government ent agencie agencies, s, private private busines businesses ses,, commun community ity-ba -based sed organiz organizati ations, ons, NGOs, the media, parliamentarians, the judiciary, universities, religious groups and, of course, children and their families. IPEC's IPEC's work to eliminate eliminate child labor is an important facet of the ILO's Decent Work Agenda. Child labor not only prevents children from acquiring the skills and education they need for a better future, it also perpetuates poverty and affects national economies through losses in competitiveness, productivity and potential income. Withdrawing children from child labor, providing them with educ educat atio ion n and and assi assist stin ing g thei theirr fami famili lies es with with trai traini ning ng and and empl employ oyme ment nt opportunities contribute directly to creating decent work for adults.

Development Solutions to Child Labour A right rightss-ba based sed appr approa oach ch whic which h reli relies es on laws laws and and their their enfo enforc rcem emen entt is ther theref efor oree insu insuff ffic icie ient nt in isol isolat atio ion n from from broa broade derr hu huma man n deve develo lopm pmen entt cons consid ider erat atio ions ns.. But But such such acti action onss will will be inef ineffe fect ctiv ivee in the the abse absenc ncee of institutional capacity to rehabilitate the children and assist their families in overcoming the loss of income. Laws Laws need need to be compl complem emen ente ted d with with deve develo lopm pmen ents ts progr program amme med d which which recogni recognize ze the practi practical cal diffic difficulti ulties es in reinteg reintegrat ration ion of childr children en into formal formal education. Development agencies are now more likely to acknowledge that children themselves should be consulted. Many children are anxious to find ways of combining education with the economic expediency of helping their families. Formal global development strategies have tended to disregard the child labour agenda. For example, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for school enrolment aims for a total of five years of education, far less than implied by child labour conventions. There is increasing realization that vital MDGs for poverty, education and health will not be achieved whilst child labor thrives. A cost/be cost/benefit nefit analy analysis sis carr carrie ied d ou outt by the the UN in 20 2003 03 con onvi vinc ncin ingl gly y demonstrated the value of eliminating child labor by reference to the long term economic benefit of a more skilled and healthy workforce. As further evidence of interdependence, there is correlation between those countries lagging behind the MDG for education and those in which child labor thrives, such as Pakistan

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and Nepal. The integration of child labor concerns into national development strategies, backed by effective legislation, is therefore the preferred route to a lasting solution.

Child Labour in Pakistan Like elsewhere across the South Asia where governments are suffering from bad administration and poor governance, Pakistan is also suffering from the linge lingeri ring ng peri perill of child child labor labor and the the econo economi micc expl exploit oitati ation on of the the poo poor. r. Beca Becaus usee of pecu peculia liarr soci socioo-ec econ onom omic ic cond conditi ition onss and and the chaot chaotic ic po polit litic ical al situatio situations ns in the third third world world countr countries ies like like Pakist Pakistan, an, Governm Government entss and the public sector institutions institutions responsible responsible for keeping an eye on the child labor and child exploitation, often fail to come up to the expectations of the society. It has been observed that rising economic costs of life often resulting in falling living living standar standards, ds, lingeri lingering ng politic political al crises crises,, rising rising unempl unemploym oyment ent and poor planning, joblessness, unplanned population migration to mega cities, rapid urba urbani niza zatio tion, n, lack lack of educa educati tion on and and many many other other facto factors rs have have resul resulte ted d in spirali spiraling ng child child labor labor as poo poorr familie familiess cannot cannot afford afford to cope cope with with multipl multiplee economic crunch and use their children as a pawn to earn some extra pennies. Child labor, with the passage of time, has emerged as the biggest challenge to the society and the government in ensuring conductive atmosphere for the children children with poor economic economic background. Unfortunately, Unfortunately, child labor is deeply engraved in the social culture of Pakistan. In Pakistan children aged 5 to 14 are above 40 million. During the last year, the Federal Bureau of Statistics released the results of its survey funded by ILO’s IPEC (International (International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor). The findings were that 3.8 million children age group of 5-14 years are working in Pakistan Pakistan outt of total ou total 40 milli million on child childre ren n in this this age age grou group; p; fift fifty y perc percen entt of these these economically active children are in age group of 5 to 9 years. Even out of these 3.8 million million econom economica ically lly active active childre children, n, 2.7 million million were were claimed claimed to be working in the agriculture sector. Two million and four hundred thousand (73%) of them were said to be boys Pakistan are leading lines below the line of poverty, whereas the Social Policy Development Centre (SPDC) Karachi has stated in one of its reports that the ratio of poverty in Pakistan was 33% during 1999 that increased in 2001 and reached 38%. The ratio of poverty in the current year is around 30%.Consider the point that if 30% of our country’s total popu popula latio tion n is lead leading ing life life below below the the po pover verty ty-l -lin inee wher wherei ein n the the peopl peoplee are are deprived of basic necessities of life like clothing, shelter, food, education and medication, the children of these people will be forced to become Laborers or workers in order to survive. Another reason of child Labor in Pakistan is that our people don’t have the security of social life. There is no aid plan or allowance for children in our country. Class-based education system is another reason for increasing child Labor; villages lack standardized education systems and as a result, child Labor is on increase in rural areas. The government has 9


not put its laws into practice to stop child Labor in our country. Employers after after exploit exploiting ing child child Labor, Labor, extrac extractt a large large surplus surplus,, whereas whereas child child Labor, Labor, despite increasing poverty, unemployment and other problems, are pressed to do anyt anythi hing ng and ever everyt ythin hing g for for thei theirr live livelih lihood ood and and the the surv surviv ival al of thei their r families. The issue of child labor and the economic exploitation of children of a lesser God has always been a burning issue in Pakistan. Successive governments tried to hush up this huge issue, having multiple implications, while civil society and the media attempts to draw out kaleidoscopic view of the spiraling problem. While While chil child d labo laborr has has seri serious ous impa impact ct on the child childre ren’ n’ss menta mentall and and soci social al development, it also impedes their emotional growth. Children are our only hope for a better future and if we desire a better and prosperous Pakistan then we must must give give them them thei theirr righ rightt of educ educat atio ion. n. Ed Educ ucat atio ion n is the the fore foremo most st fundamental right of the children which must be protected and given to each and every child. Although a number of protecting laws contain provisions prohibiting child labor or regulating the working conditions of children and adolescent workers but the issue still remain unresolved. Pakistan has enacted many laws for eradicating eradicating child labor. The Constitution Constitution of Islamic Islamic Republic of Pakistan states that; “No child below the age of fourteen shall be engaged in any factory or mine or in any other hazardous employment.” And also, “All forms of forced labor and traffic in human beings are prohibited.” Children’s like as flowers, if we force on these then their souls was broken, it is the major issue of any type of country where no any way to help poor peoples and their children, so we discuss on child labour in Pakistan. Pakistan is poor country, not poor from starting but because of our government polices are not right for any institution of our country. Pakistan always helpless. Pakistan's government never do for own country what they do for poor peoples. If any one living in that country it means they are not in own safe country but in like as jail, but others countries jail also good from this countries people living. If any country wants progress then education is must. Means society of middle class family they give education to their children but any poor peoples can't do this, because a lot of money need for any education for children, but our government always quite on this issue, only government of Pakistan is begging money from others countries from 61 years not for own country but only for own aims it means from 61 years no one good leader who think about their peoples and their children but here allot of corruption in any government department. Pakistan government never thinks about poor peoples how they survive in life and how get money, how give education to our children. So we need to think about child labour and those children’s also use drugs because they don’t know about these things and they are away from their parents so they do as they like and allot of children died because of using drugs and many children died because of abusing.

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Pakistan Labour force Graph and Data

Year Labor force

Rank

Percent Change

2003

40 40,400,000

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2004

43,980,000

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8.86 %

2005

45,430,000

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3.30 %

2006

46,840,000

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3.10 %

2007

48,290,000

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3.10 %

2008

48,230,000

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-0.12 %

Table 9.1.1 Pakistan labour force

Fig. 9.1.1 Labour force

List of occupations and categories of work •

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Work Work with with power power drive driven n cutti cutting ng mach machine inery ry like like saws, saws, shear shears, s, and and guillotines, (Thrashers, fodder cutting machines, also marbles) Work with live electrical wires over 50V. All operation related to leather tanning process e.g. soaking, dismissal, limi liming ng chro chrome me tann tannin ing, g, deli delimi ming ng,, pick pickli ling ng defl defles eshi hing ng,, and and ink ink application.

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Business Communication ================================= Child Labour • • •

Mixing or application or pesticides insecticide/fumigation. Sandblasting and other work involving exposure to free silica. Work with exposure to all toxic, explosive and carcinogenic chemicals heavy metals like nickel, mercury chromium, lead, arsenic, beryllium, fiber glass.

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Work with exposure to cement dust (cement industry)

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Work with exposure to coal dust

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Manufacture and sale of fireworks explosives

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Work at the sites where Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) are filled in cylinders.

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Work on glass and metal furnaces

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Work in the clothe printing, dyeing and finishing sections

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Work inside sewer pipelines, pits, storage tanks

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Stone crushing

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Lifting and carrying of heavy weight specially in transport industry (15b kg and above)

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Work between 10 pm to 8 am (Hotel Industry)

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Carpet waving

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Working 2 meter above the floor

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All scavenging including hospital waste

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Tobacco process (including Niswar) and Manufacturing Deep fishing (commercial fishing/ sea food and fish processing Sheep casing and wool industry)

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Ship breaking

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Surg Surgica icall instr instrum ument ent manu manufa fact ctur uring ing spec specia iall lly y in vendo vendors rs worksh workshop op Bangles glass, furnaces

Child Labor in Rag Picking Business A study conducted conducted by the Sustainable Sustainable Development Policy Institute Institute (SDPI) (SDPI) on Rag Pickers/scavenger in 2003 reveals that there are roughly 89,500-106,500 children engaged in scavenging in five major cities of the country i.e. Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad. The survey identifies three types of scav scaven enge gers rs:: migr migrat ator ory y scav scaven enge gers rs,, roam roamin ing g scav scaveng enger erss and and site site based based scavengers.

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Table 9.3.1 No. of rag pickers In Pakistan

National Laws Pertaining to Child Labour The Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan states: "No child below the age of fourteen shall be engaged in any factory or mine or in any other hazard hazardous ous employ employmen ment." t." Also, Also, "All forms of forced forced labour labour and traffi trafficc in human beings are prohibited." A number of laws contain provisions prohibiting child child labour labour or regulat regulating ing the working working conditi conditions ons of child child and adoles adolescen centt workers. The most important laws are: The Factories Act 1934. •

The West Pakistan Shops and Establishments Ordinance 1969. •

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The Employment of Children Act 1991.

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The Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1992.

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The Punjab Compulsory Education Act 1994

It is a great pity that out of the 160 million population of Pakistan, it is estimated that there are well over 10 million child laborers below the age of 18 years, the age where childhood ends. The International Labor Organization (ILO) defines child Labor as: When a child is working during early age •

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He overworks or gives over time to Labor

He works due to the psychologically, socially, and materialistic pressure •

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He becomes ready to Labor on a very low pay

Punjab government is giving special attention to the social sector development for poverty alleviation and creating more job opportunities for the jobless. In this this rega regard rd,, a sum of Rs.5 Rs.58. 8.64 64 billi billion on has has been been provi provide ded d in the the Annua Annuall

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Deve Develo lopm pmen entt Prog Progra ram m of the the Punj Punjab ab prov provin ince ce to impr improv ovee heal health th care care,, education, social welfare and provision of water and sewerage facilities. Punjab Punjab Governm Government ent is also also strengt strengthen hening ing its “Center “Center for Improv Improveme ement nt of Working Conditions Conditions and Environment” Environment” for improving occupational occupational safety safety and health surveillance of the workers. A sum of Rs.100 million is also being utilized on seven different projects relating to labor welfare in the province. However, child labor cannot be eliminated by government efforts alone. Civil society, society, media, community leaders, leaders, and the scholars scholars should also come out and foster the need of keeping families small. We must lean to live according to our economic means. Education is the only way to get rid of vicious circle of poverty. It is also needed to bring behavioral change towards adoption of affordable family size for better maternal and child health and sustainable socio-economic development to achieve the desired population growth rate in the province. Punjab government must adopt a holistic mechanism to fully utilize it Population Welfare department for sensitizing the people about utility of small families.

Child Labour and Education Child labor is closely associated with poverty. Many poor families are unable to afford school fees or other school costs. The family may depend on the contribution that a working child makes to the household's income, and place more importance on that than on education. 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. More than ever today, children need a good quality education and training if they are to acquire the skills necessary to succeed in the labor market. However, in many countries the schools which are accessible to the poor families are under resourced and inadequate. Poor facilities, over-sized classes, and lack of trained teachers lead to low standards of education. In the Mill Millen enni nium um Deve Develo lopm pmen entt Goal Goalss the the Unit United ed Nati Nation onss and and the the broa broade der r international international community community set targets of ensuring ensuring that by 2015 all boys and girls complete a full course of primary education and that there is gender parity in education. These targets cannot be met unless the factors that generate child labor and prevent poor families families from sending children to school are addressed. addressed. Among the most important steps required are: • • •

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Provision of free and compulsory education Tackling barriers to girl’s education Ensuring that children have access to a school and a safe and quality learning environment Providing catch up education opportunities for children and youth who have so far missed out on formal schooling Tackling the worldwide shortage of teachers and ensuring a properly trained and professional teaching force

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Business Communication ================================= Child Labour •

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Enforcing laws on child labor and education in line with international standards Tackling poverty, and creating decent work for adults Raising public awareness to tackle child labor

Child laborers work for most of the time. In some cases they work for 16 hours a day. This deprives the child from time to seek education, which is essential for the overall development and future progress of the child. Some children are bound by their employers as slaves and have to work all the time. In some cases the poverty of the household and low level of parental education are responsible for child labor. The value of education is less important to the parents than the income the child earns for them. In the present money oriented environment, the parents consider putting their child to work a better education method than schooling as work assures survival and better future prospects. This is due to the failure of many graduates to get a job, which is evident from the high level of unemployment existing among them.

Poverty and child Labor From a policy perspective, it is interesting to consider how child labor responds to trends in economic growth and globalization. There is some evidence on the effects of growth and trade expansion on poverty and poverty levels will reflect changes associated with growth and trade reform for instance, in consumer and producer prices, a first step in linking the available micro econometric evidence with the larger questions of growth and Globalization is to study the relation of poverty and child labor. (a) Market Imperfections

Product Productive ive assets assets like like land land or enterp enterprise rise-ca -capit pital al will will have have negati negative ve wealth wealth effects on child labor and, in a perfect-markets economy we would expect the children of large landowners to be less likely to be in work than the children of small landowners or landless agricultural workers. The common presumption is that child labor emerges from the poorest households. (b) Poverty Constraints

A negative effect of income on hours of work is, however, however, expected for adults and for children and in poor as well as non-poor households. In other words, it only indicates that Child leisure or child schooling is a normal good. Generally, if the household is very poor, the income effect will tend to dominate the substitution effect and the wage elasticity will be negative. Thus a testable prediction of the hypothesis of compelling poverty is that the wage elasticity is negative. Positive wage elasticity, on the other hand, is consistent with the view that children work on account of the relative returns to school being low. (c) Multiple Choices

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Men’s decision to work can be quite adequately modeled as a choice between markets work, self-employment and leisure. In the case of women, a third choice is home production i.e. productive work within the households for which there is no explicit wage. In the case of children, a third choice is school attendance. The child labor supply decision involves allocation of time between labor, leisure and school. The basic assumptions are that leisure is a good and labor is a bad and it is probably reasonable to assume that the marginal utility of school attendance is positive. Labor brings the benefits of a wage income today as well as the benefit of experience accumulation and therefore higher wages tomorrow. Education also promises higher wages tomorrow, so time allocation has to weigh up these dynamic benefits since more education usually means less work experience.

Effects of Child Labour 1. Child labor deprives a child of a proper childhood. 2. He suffers physical and mental torture. 3. He becomes mentally and emotionally mature too fast which is a dangerous sign. 4. Child labor creates and perpetuates poverty. 5. It condemns the child to a life of unskilled, badly paid work. 6. Ultimately this leads to child labor with each generation.

Policy approaches to tackle child labour Improve incentives •

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Make school attendance more accessible—more schools, flexible schooling Reduce or eliminate school fees Eliminate discrimination against girls in school Improve educational quality—teaching, materials Improve basic services—for example, access to clean water

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Reduce poverty Social safety nets Cash or food linked to participation in education Improve access to credit Better labour market functioning

Protection and rehabilitation services

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Business Communication ================================= Child Labour • • • •

Remove children from hazardous and worst forms of child labour Enforce health and safety and other employment standards Provide access to education and health services Offer vocational training and other rehabilitation

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Introduce and enforce child labour laws Introduce and enforce compulsory education laws

Solutions to End Child Labour Attitudes will have to change if child labour is to be eradicated. One of the main reasons reasons why child labour continues continues to exist is that girls are seen as worth less than boys. In most families where children work, there is an average of 8 children and if girls are employed, the families have at least 9 children. If women were involved in the formal sector, it is more likely that they would have fewer children and also delay the age at which they have children. Thus, the government should find a way to empower women and children. In addition to this, the Pakistani Pakistani as well as Western governments governments must invest more money into the education system. It is clear that many parents do not want to send their children to school either because they must pay or they view the school system as inadequate. If parents want their children to succeed in the future, they must have have fait faith h that that scho school ol will will help help them them and and prim primar ary y scho school ol must must be free free.. According to a survey, 24 percent of children believed that school did not teach them any useful skills, as stated in an article on Yes Pakistan, a website service of the Human Development Foundation of North America. The government could open schools that teach lifelong skills to children who must work. Although the government has passed a law that forgave all debts, this law has not been enforced. As mentioned above, children that work are usually illiterate and are not familiar with laws passed by the government. Many of their parents woul would d be un unaw awar aree of this this law law as well well.. Th Thee go gove vern rnme ment nt shou should ld empl employ oy counselors that work with illiterate people and make them aware of such developments. In addition, with regard to enforcement, the government should pass a law declaring domestic employment hazardous. Most children work at home and parents are often not mindful about regulations regarding child labour – these must be enforced.

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Conclusion As we all know that child labor is a major problem in all over the world today. It is not only prevailing in developing countries but also it is a cursed in developed countries. If we talk about Pakistan then the child under the age of 15 or may be less is engaged in labor work. The main problem for this is the lack of education and lower income level of the people. No doubt, child labor in United States also a dynamic problem but if we compare it with other countries it is less than those. The main reason for flou flouri rishi shing ng the the child child labor labor in the Paki Pakista stan n is the insta instabil bility ity of polit politic ical al environment. The numbers of family members are more than the income level. For the better eradication of this problem is the government support. Because government should arranged such steps on international level through which this type of curse could be removed or minimized. But, this is not only the gove go vern rnme ment nt respo responsi nsibil bility ity,, we as a citiz citizen en shoul should d forw forwar ard d our step stepss for for elimination of this problem. We should arrange seminars on v child labor; different speeches can play a vital role in this regard. And moreover, media can play a very important role for this. Different types of ads should be shown on TV for the awareness awareness of this problem. If we adopted such little steps than may be a small part of this curse could be eliminated. In a vivid, we can say child labor is a complex problem which demands a range of solutions. There is no better way to prevent child Labor than to make education compulsory. The West understood this a long time ago. Laws were enacted very early to secure continued education for working children; and now they have gone a step forward, and required completion of at least the pre preli limi mina nary ry educat education ion of the the child child befor beforee he or she she start startss work. work. Bett Better er solutions should be adopted for its removal otherwise it will soon lick the pillars of the world.

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Awareness raising activities should be arranged so that people are informed about children’s rights to education and leisure. Microfinance programs so that families have sufficient income and can keep their children out of paid work. Provision of health and educational services for working children should be ensured. Ensuring that children orphaned by AIDS are still accorded their rights and are equipped with skills that will help them as adults Plan works to raise awareness of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Poor Poor people people shoul should d provi provide de such such oppor opportu tunit nitie iess to get get them themsel selve vess out of poverty, and prevent and stop all types of exploitation of children. Provi Providi ding ng all child children ren with with acce access ss to educat educatio ion n is every every gover governm nment ent’s ’s responsibility, as well as a practical response to preventing child labor. Free, compulsory, relevant and good-quality education services should be given. Laws and regulations against child labor must be in place and rigorously enforced by governments should be in manner. Civil society and media engagement can change attitudes and it can condemn child labor. It can also helps in raising awareness of its harmful effects on health and development will help alleviate children’s vulnerability to abuse. Relevant school curricula and vocational training programs can be adapted to students’ circumstances and will increase their school attendance. Social programs to support families in need and help them find alternative income to replace their child’s employment will help prevent child labor. Such support is also needed for child-headed households, orphans and children’s. To create awareness on the different aspects of child labor issue and start campaigns on children’s for the implementation of children's rights.

Fami Family ly size size shoul should d be small small becaus becausee Poor Poor hou househ sehol olds ds tend tend to have have more more children, children, and with large families there is a greater likelihood likelihood that children will work and have lower school attendance and completion.

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Business Communication ================================= Child Labour •

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Governments need to devote resources for Schooling and to provide good quality and relevance atmosphere with no cost to poor families.

Base programming on children’s own perception of what constitutes safe / harmful / age appropriate / educational labor. Target and focus integrated packages of basic services on urban poor families. Disa Disable bled d childr children en must must recei receive ve priori priority ty atten attenti tion on due to their their parti particul cular ar vulnerability to exploitation in the worst forms of child labor on the streets. Expand education services to make them accessible to working children. To give priority attention to immediately immediately eliminating eliminating the worst forms of child labor with appropriate programs.

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www.unicef.org.com Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child “The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006″ http://www.sparcpk.org/publications/sopc_2006.pdf IRIN Asia “Child labour still widespread in NWFP” http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=26413\ U.S Department of Labor “Pakistan” http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/sweat/pakistan.htm YesPakistan.com staff writer “Policy considerations for ending child labor in Pakistan” http://www.yespakistan.com/people/child_labor.asp http://images.google.com.pk/imgres? imgurl=http://www.hamariweb.com/Images/Articles/Labour3%252013http://www.minnpost.com/globalpost/2009/05/15/8833/hope_for_pakistans_c hild_workers http://www.sparcpk.org/news_june_need.php Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child “The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006″ http://www.sparcpk.org/publications/sopc_2006.pdf IRIN Asia “Child labour still widespread in NWFP” http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=26413\ U.S Department of Labor “Pakistan” http://www.dol.gov/ILAB/media/reports/iclp/sweat/pakistan.htm YesPakistan.com staff writer “Policy considerations for ending child labor in Pakistan” http://www.yespakistan.com/people/child_labor.asp http://images.google.com.pk/imgres? imgurl=http://www.hamariweb.com/Images/Articles/Labour3%252013http://www.sparcpk.org/crs_child_labor.php http://www.minnpost.com/globalpost/2009/05/15/8833/hope_for_pakistans_c hild_workers

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http://www.sparcpk.org/press_only_education.php

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http://www.sparcpk.org/news_june_need.php

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Child Labor Long Report

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