Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is a human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989, ratified by Pakistan in 1990, sets out the rights of children and the obligations of states to protect and promote these rights. Article 32 of the CRC specifically addresses the issue of child labor.
Article 32 of the CRC states that “States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.” Furthermore, Article 32 of the CRC calls on states to take legislative, administrative, social, and educational measures to protect children from economic exploitation and to promote their physical and mental well-being.
Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29)
Pakistan ratified ILO Convention No. 29 in 1957, which requires ratifying states to suppress all forms of forced or compulsory labour (Article 1(1)). As the first convention on the subject, it contains the definition of ‘forced or compulsory labour’ (Article 2(1)) and lists five possible exceptions. It also requires countries to ensure that the use of forced labour is criminalised and that penalties are “genuinely proportionate and strictly enforced” (Article 25).
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
Pakistan ratified ILO Convention No. 105 in 1960, which explicitly prohibits five types of forced labour imposed by state authorities: forced labour as a punishment for the expression of political views, for the purposes of economic development, for participation in strikes, as a means of racial or other discrimination, or as form of labour-related discipline.
ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138)
ILO Minimum Age Convention No. 138, adopted in 1973, sets out the minimum age for employment and work. The convention requires member states to establish a minimum age for admission to employment or work that is not less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling, and in any case, not less than 15 years. For developing countries, this minimum age can be reduced to 14 years under certain conditions. Pakistan ratified this Convention on 6 July 2006.
ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
ILO Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182, adopted by ILO in 1999, is designed to address the worst forms of child labor, which include all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, forced labor, the use of children in armed conflict, the trafficking of children, and any work that is likely to harm the health, safety, or morals of children. Under the convention, member states are required to take immediate and effective measures to prohibit and eliminate the worst forms of child labor, including identifying and removing children from such work, and providing them with appropriate rehabilitation and social services. The convention also calls for measures to address the root causes of child labor, such as poverty, lack of access to education, and social exclusion. Pakistan ratified the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention on 11 October 2001.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, a global plan of action for people, planet, and prosperity. It sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), encompassing 169 targets. All countries and stakeholders, including governments, businesses, the media, higher education institutions, and non-governmental organisations, are expected to work together to implement the 2030 Agenda. SDG target 8.7 calls on states to take immediate and effective steps to end forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking, as well as to ensure the prohibition and elimination of all forms of child labour, as a necessary step towards achieving decent work for all, full and productive employment, and inclusive and sustainable economic growth by 2025.