May 17, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11, 1429

ISLAMABAD, May 16: Pakistan was experiencing worst forms of child labour with over 3.3 million child workers which should a major concern for all, and the situation demanded serious practical initiatives from all stakeholders including media to stop this social menace effectively.

This was stated by National Project Manager ILO-IPEC Saba Mohsin Raza during a session with columnists and editors here on Friday.

The event which was jointly organised by the International Labor Organisation and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was part of the ILO’s plan of action to create awareness on the issue among general public.

Ms Raza said around 264 million were child labourers in the world with 127.3 million child labourers (5-14 year) in Asia- Pacific region.

Out of the 40 million Pakistani children, 3.3 million were labourers (5-14 years) comprising 2.4 million boys (10-14 years) and 0.9 million girls (5-9 years), she said.

However, she explained that the ILO with cooperation of the government was taking effective initiatives to control child labour in the society.

“The government was working hard under the ILO Convention-182 that Pakistan ratified in 2001 and also under the ILO Convention 136 on the Minimum Age in 2006,” she added.

However, she called for a coherent social action to provide future generations with bright prospects.

About the ILO’s progress in controlling the child labour, she said with these initiatives the ILO had so far rehabilitated around 72,000 families throughout the country.

Ms Raza sought strong cooperation from the national media to develop a positive public opinion on social issues, particularly child labour.

“Children are our asset and all of us should come forward to protect this asset,” she said, adding that all those with resources should bear the education expenses of at least one child worker, so that child workers could become productive part of the society.