ISLAMABAD: An official of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations expressed concern over the presence of 70pc of the child labour force in Pakistan’s agricultural sector.
“It is often said that children are the future of Pakistan but they are actually the present and we need to address the present so that they become the future of Pakistan,” FAO Representative in Pakistan, Florence Rolle said while speaking at the National Consultative Workshop on Elimination of Child Labour in Agriculture/Cotton, Textile and Garment value chains in Pakistan.
Ms Florence referred to the statistics on out-of school children and their rate of stunting.
She said that child labour in agriculture does not just concern children who are out of school, but also concerns their health as they are often exposed to pesticides.
The FAO and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) are jointly implementing the ‘Clear Cotton Project: Eliminating Child Labour and Forced Labour in Cotton, Textile and Garment Value Chains’ (2018-2023) which has been funded by the European Union (EU). This project is also being carried out in Pakistan.
A result-oriented 2022 monitoring report of the project termed it “a well-designed intervention, with good reflection in the country action plans for addressing key needs of target groups and beneficiaries and having a balanced approach”.
However, there were concerns about the slow pace of progress and lackluster anchorage with global platforms that deal with forced and child labour.
According to the report, Pakistan must work with global corporations on mandatory social security standards for supply chains that include child labour and forced labor in garment value chain.
Khemphone Phaokhamekeo is the ILO Country Director Pakistan. He stated that Pakistan had ratified 36 international conventions, including one on the elimination and forcible labour. However, Pakistan should ensure the compliance of the ILO conventions.
Published in Dawn on December 15, 2022