This Rapid Assessment examines child labour at automobile repair workshops in Pakistan, with a view to providing updated information on its magnitude, identifying factors that push children into this form of child labour and reviewing national efforts to address the phenomenon. Based on its findings, it offers recommendations for policy design, implementation and action by stakeholders to eliminate and prevent child labour in automobile repair workshops. The assessment was commissioned by the International Labour
Child Rights in Focus
14-year-old Rizwana was allegedly subjected to brutal torment over a sustained period of some six months by her employer in Islamabad. When her parents received Rizwana, the child was in critical condition. They went to the police station to lodge a first information report (FIR) against the employer, the wife of a civil judge . After showing reluctance, Islamabad police registered the FIR on July 26. Initially, the police booked the employer for criminal
Mahira Khan has raised her voice for all victims of child labour — calling the practice illegal, wrong and unethical. In a video shared by fellow actor Nadia Jamil on Twitter, Khan made an appeal to people to stop encouraging child labour and to raise their voices against the abuse of child labourers. Her plea comes after the brutal torture of a teenage girl named Rizwana who worked as a maid in Islamabad. Somia Asim, the
Hailing from Gharo, Lachmi, aged two months and weighing just eight kilogrammes, was brought to our clinic by her very worried mother, who reported that she was not able to breastfeed Lachmi as she could not afford meals most days. Lachmi underwent various tests before being diagnosed with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). She was given 12 sachets of Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) regularly for a few weeks, after which Lachmi returned with significant improvements
Police in the G-15 sector of Islamabad have apprehended a woman on allegations of subjecting her 13-year-old domestic helper to torture. As stated by law enforcement officials, the accused individual, who is linked with an online business enterprise, was detained based on accusations raised by the maid’s mother, Khalida Bibi, hailing from Chiniot in Punjab. The accused was brought before a magistrate’s court and subsequently sent to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi under judicial custody.
This Rapid Assessment examines children’s involvement in waste-picking activities within Pakistan. Conducted under the auspices of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Asia Regional Child Labour (ARC) Project, this assessment illuminates the factors driving children’s involvement in waste-picking, their socio-demographic backgrounds, their working conditions, the risks they encounter, and the consequences these circumstances impose on them. The findings are a composite of secondary data acquired through an extensive desk review and primary data garnered through
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved the much-awaited Juvenile Justice System Rules 2023 to make the 2018 juvenile law fully operational for benefitting child offenders. The rules, prepared by the provincial home and tribal affairs department, include detail provisions about different important aspects of the Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018. An official said that the provincial caretaker cabinet gave approval to the rules in its meeting on Wednesday night. The rules would be notified
“Child Protection Issues in Pakistan” features an interview with Afshan Tehseen Bajwa, the former Chairperson of the National Commission for Rights of Children (NCRC) in Pakistan. She discusses several child protection issues prevalent in Pakistan. These include child labor, child abuse, child marriage and lack of access to education. Bajwa notes that around 12 million children in Pakistan are involved in child labor. These children often work in dangerous industries like mining and factories. Bajwa emphasizes
“Child Labour Among Afghan Refugee Children: Investigating the Underlying Drivers” highlights the underlying drivers of child labor among Afghan refugee children residing in Pakistan. Conducted by PIDE (Pakistan Institute of Development Economics), the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to child labor and suggest policy recommendations for its eradication. The research findings reveal that several factors contribute to the prevalence of child labor among Afghan refugee children. These include
This video highlights the Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) unwavering commitment outlines the collaborative efforts of FAO and its partners in Pakistan, focusing on strategies and actions taken to reduce and prevent child labour in the agricultural sector.
What PM Shehbaz Sharif blurted out recently isn’t quite a national secret. Though none in high office can admit it publicly, in a moment of despair he admitted that wherever he visits, disdain is written on the faces of hosts. Respecting those who keep asking for loans and rollovers is hard. This, said he, is no way to live and so, “today we have to decide whether to live uprightly or by begging”. Begging
In this TEDx talk by Jahanzeb Burana, he emphasizes the importance of teaching, encouragement, and direction in transforming classrooms, highlighting the need to change teachers’ mindsets to think and behave like salespeople.