ISLAMABAD, Nov 22: A non-governmental organisation has expressed concern over the increasing child labour in various sectors of the economy and demanded complete ban on this social bane in the country.

“Child labour is one of the fastest growing evils in the country, and according to new official estimates as many as seven million children are toiling in various economic sectors of Pakistan,” said a press release issued by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) here on Thursday.

It is after ten years that the government has acknowledged that the number of child labourers has increased from 3.6 million in 1996 and swelled to seven million, the press release said.

Sparc has been observing a ‘Child Labour Free Week’ from November 19-23 throughout the country with the help of its offices in the Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP and almost over 35 child rights committees working at the district levels in these provinces.

The objective is to create awareness among the general masses and apprise the government and various stakeholders of the growing child labour in the country. The emphasis this year is on domestic child labour.

“Domestic child labour or the ‘hidden evil’ is rampant in the urban households throughout the country and almost 62 per cent of them are girls who are taking care of children not much younger to them,” said National Executive Director of the society Qindeel Shujaat. “What is worse is the acceptance of employing boys and girls to do the work which should be done by the adults,” he said, adding that “these employers do not ask their own children to do the work they expect of these boys and girls, who neither enjoy good food nor good health and parental love and care”. “There is no law that regulates the domestic child labour. The working hours are unlimited, with no or small pay.

Verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse against these children is common is. There is no minimum age of employment for domestic child labourers and their age may be as low as seven year,” said National Manager Promotion of Sparc Fazila Gulrez. The grave violation of rights include hurdles to education, healthcare, recreation, privacy or weekly holidays and multiple duties. Girls outnumber boys, particularly in Punjab and Sindh while in Balochistan and NWFP boys marginally are more in than girls employed in domestic labour.

Young female as bonded labourers are forcibly kept in the houses in the guise of domestic servants, where all kinds of atrocities are inflicted on them. Cases of extreme violence may hit the headlines but many of their problems go unreported and unheard. Government of Pakistan has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and is signatory to the ILO conventions regarding minimum age of employment and worst forms of child labour.

Yet unlike other Saarc countries including India and Nepal “Pakistan does not recognise domestic child labour as worst forms of child labour”. Besides, the Employment Services Condition Act is still in draft form which calls for a ban on employment of children under 14 in all sectors and occupations including domestic child labour, the press release said.