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The issue of Child Labor has gained prominence in the last few years.This misfortune to the future generation of the world received universal publicity after a series of studies and surveys conducted by various organizations and agencies. The present scenario is that there is now a concerted awareness not only in the developed countries but also in the developing nations, more so in countries where the scourge of child labor is prevalent.

According to the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC), a part of ILO, "No one really knows (how many children are working in the world today). Some estimates suggest between 100 and 200 million. In the developing world more than 18% of the children between 10 and 14 years are working and in certain countries this figure may rise to 20 or 30%." ¹ In a presentation made at an IPEC Worksop in Singapore in 1993, Majyd Aziz, past Chairman of the SITE Association, described child labor as "The employment of children under the age of fifteen outside of the house, with limited or no access to a recognized procedure of education, with scant regard for health and safety, and with minimal or non-available opportunities for recreation or mind development activities. Child labor is the natural outcome of extenuating circumstances which evolved when the compelling forces of abject poverty, burgeoning population, and non-existent facilities of health, education, and welfare, exploited the deprived and disadvantaged populace." ²

What is insidious about this problem is that it appears to being tolerated in the name of development. Some companies and also some parents are allowing the pre-mature employment of children in the short-sighted belief that this would bolster enterprise’s competitiveness and profitability while at the same time giving the children the opportunity to survive in an economy where the source of livelihood is scarce or where it is difficult to generate employment.

In Pakistan, the population growth rate is over 3.1% which is virtually the highest rate in the world. Thus, this high population results in an increase in the active manpower pool in the country. Mahmud Quraishi, a Human Resources consultant, writing in the Economic Review states that " the manpower supply is determined by that part of the population of working age who are able and willing to to engage themselves in economic activity. In Pakistan the working age is regarded as 10 years and above. The active age ....... considered internationally and by ILO is the age group from 15 to 64 years. Child labor (below 15 years of age) is on the decline though still prevalent in Pakistan." ³ He further writes that "according to the latest estimates, 45% of the population of Pakistan is of the age of 15 years or less." ⁴

There is another factor worth serious consideration. This is the issue of "bonded labor". According to Ehsanullah Khan, the President of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front, "ILO and UNICEF report that there are 20 million bonded laborers in Pakistan........(and) the government should take immediate steps for the liberation of about 8 million bonded child laborers." ⁵ There are thousands of children working alongside their parents in the brick-kilns, especially in Punjab. Mushtaq Ahmed, in his article published in Dawn, lamented that "the least heard of and the most exploitative is the brick-kiln industry in which ........children slog from dawn to dusk and even from dusk to dawn to keep their emaciated bodies together on the edge of survival." ⁶

The sad part of the proliferation of child labor is that it deprives the children of a regular schooling experience, and at the same time it takes away from them the privileges of being a child and enjoying the pleasures and thrills of a normal childhood period. Those children who come from impoverished families tend to go out to work at a very tender age. Dr Akmal Hussain writes that "the working hours of children are longer than their adult counterparts. This is partly because their low wage rate obliges them to work longer to get anything at all, and partly because the employer feels that he can pressurise children to work long hours more successfully than he can adult workers." ⁷

The children work in many different types of areas. Some of these industries are hazardous to the lives of these young people. They work in match factories, on lathe machines, in workshops, automotive garages, carpet weaving, etc. They also work long hours in garment industries, and even sell newspapers on the roads, suffering the elements of nature, day in and day out. Gem polishing and bidi making are other industries where they are employed in large numbers. A consultant to IPEC stated that "in the study of 10,000 workers in the lock industry of Aligarh, case histories described different hazardous processes. In electroplating alone, chemicals used are extremely dangerous: potassium cyanide, trisodium phosphate, sodium silicate, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, sodium hydroxide, chromic acid, barium hydroxide,. One child died as he accidently put potassium cyanide in his mouth. There were other cases of severe illness and stomach problems. Every so often a child tastes some of the liquid in the chemical tanks to satisfy his curiousity and either gets ill or sometimes dies." ⁸

The child and the immediate family need to understand the short and long term consequences of children going to work at too young an age. They must know the alternatives available to them if the reason the child is working is the poverty of the family. Until the problem is eliminated, the child should be protected. Dr Nafsiah Mboi, Member of Parliament of Indonesia, suggests that there are three questions the child and family should ask: "where can the child .... enroll for training and education which might open the prospects for improved employment possibilities in the future. If the work situation is intolerable --- children are subjected to intimidation or physical abuse, the environment is unhealthy, children are given dangerous tasks and no protection --- to whom and how can a report be made which may produce improvement........Where are the least expensive, most convenient health facilities which should provide services to the child." ⁹

There is now the imperative need to eliminate the nemesis of child labor from the country. There is the need to inform the public about this menace. However, the task is not simple because the parents of these children have to be given the orientation required to instil in them the urgency of this issue. These parents depend upon the additional financial help they receive from the employment of their children. Majyd Aziz stressed the need for this concerted effort. He emphasized that "a clarion call is required to mobilize efforts to protect children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. A clear call is required to generate advocacy for children’s rights and privileges. A blaring call is required to accord priority to promote the development of children." ¹⁰

It is a pity that business and labor leaders pay lip service to the problem of child labor. The religious leaders, too, lack the moral conviction to spearhead this issue. They must arouse the conscience of the congregations, especially in their Juma sermons. The social welfare activists do toil to propagate the issue but yet there is seldom meaningful progress. Laws have been made but the enforcement is not upto its mark.In the US Congress, Senator Tom Harkin has introduced a Bill called the Child Labor Deterrence Act 1993. This Act would "prohibit the importation of any product, made whole or part, by children under the age of 15 employed in industry or mining." ¹¹ This could create a big drop in the already stagnant exports of this country. It could also put in turmoil the whole set-up of those export-oriented industries where child labor employment is high, such as the carpet industry, and to a large extent, the garment industry.

The industry captains must evolve the right policy to stem the increased dependence on child labor and at the same time, there is the need to project the image of Pakistany products as one made by skilled adult workers and craftsmen. The increased competitiveness in the world trade requires the consideration of a pragmatic approach. The country should not wait for the foreign importers and governments to put curbs on Pakistany products for using child labor. The nation should plan ahead and institute a mass program to achieve the objectives of the elimination of child labor.

One area through which this issue can be tackled is education. ILO expert Assefa Bequele advocated improved educational systems to curb this menace. She said that "the single most important instrument for ensuring that children do not work, is to have them attending schools." ¹² That means at least three things:

• gradually increasing the age of compulsory school attendance and enforcing it;
• increasing resources allocated to education, including school lunch programs and elimination of school fees and other student costs that, while small for the well to do, are a burden for families barely able to eke out a living; and
• finding other ways to make sure that school enrollment for children of the poorest of families is not an impossible liability, for example, by making up on a transitional basis for at least a part of the modest but necessary income a family loses when a child quits his or her job."¹³

The IPEC Workshop on the Elimination of Child Labor in Hazardous Industries was held in Singapore in August, 1993 under the aegis of the ILO. The participants decided on certain practical conclusions to achieve the objectives. In short, these are:

• The concept of workplace must be child-centered, defined on the basis of what is essential for children to grow and develop normally.
• Children working in seriously hazardous industries must be given first priority in activities to combat child labor.
• More studies of a wider coverage of serious hazards to children at work should be conducted.
• ILO should compile and disseminate an inventory guide on hazardous work of children.
• Identify priority areas to improve legislation and policies.
• Labor inspectors, health workers, and educators need greater training to enforce child labor legislation.While awaiting the elimination of labor, efforts should be made to protect children from hazards at work.
• More awareness rquired and mass media to be mobilized to project hazards to health and safety of working children.
• Workers’ organizations and NGOs should strive hard for documenting cases of child abuse, monitoring enforcement of child labor laws, educating workers about their rights, etc.
• Employers’ organizations should encourage progressive labor practices, and also educating employers about the long term benefits of non-exploitative management practices.
• Special emphasis should be given to action research for formulating effective and practical approaches to combat child labor. ¹⁴

.It is important to point out here that the ILO and various governments have now stepped up their efforts to eliminate the problem of child labor. Various programs have been developed and memorandums between ILO and governemnts have been signed to this effect. The USA and the European countries have also strongly decided to adhere to their policy of banning products that have been manufactured by child labor. The Government of Pakistan has also signed a memorandum with the ILO, and advisories have been channeled to various labor departments to enforce the legislation pertaining to child labor. However, considering the inefficiency, lethargy, and corruption which is so rampant in the bureaucratic hierarchy, it is still an uphill task to combat this problem. The manifestations of abject poverty firmly discourages strong-arm methods to control child labor. Nevertheless, if the cause is sincere and there is sense of direction, it is hoped that the parents of these children, the government enforcing agencies, the employers, and the workers’ leadership will come to the desired conclusion that salvation lies in achieving the objectives and eliminating this tragedy, this misfortune, this curse, on the future generation of the world.