Alarming increase in violence cases on domestic Child laborers call For Immediate Action by Federal and Provincial Governments
The Child Rights Movement (CRM) Pakistan is agitated over the recent case Violene of Child Domestic Laborer
Alarming increase in violence cases on domestic Child laborers call For Immediate Action by Federal and Provincial Governments
Islamabad- Imrana komal
The Child Rights Movement (CRM) Pakistan is agitated over the recent case Violene of Child Domestic Laborer , CRM reflective of Civil Society Organizations draw government’s attention to the broader issue of the use of children as domestic slaves in many households of urban settings in Pakistan and towards the legal loopholes in this grave violation of child rights.
Mehwish Kayani (National Coordinator- CRM) share that the CRM Pakistan monitoring the pattern of child rights violations have noticed that this is one of the worst forms of child labor. This incident is not a first. Such brutality has occurred before. In February 2019, the body of a 16-year-old girl was found dumped in one of Lahore’s drains. The girl’s name was Uzma, and she was a domestic worker for a family living in the Iqbal Town area. Uzma was tormented and killed by her employers. In another famous case, a girl named Tayyaba was rescued from judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan’s house in Islamabad on 28th December 2016. And no one can forget Shazia Masih’s tragic and cruel murder in January 2010 in Lahore. Since 2010 these incidents continue to be appearing in news regularly and compel us to think even more seriously about this serious child protection issue. CRM expresses strong concern over the lack of accountability in this regard.
“More than 140 cases of abuse, rape and murder of child domestic workers were reported in the media during the past ten years,” according to a report (published in January 2020) compiled by three civil society organizations. The report further reveals that 96 children were raped and 44 murdered over the ten-year period. 79 percent of cases reported were from Punjab, 14 percent from Sindh, six percent from Islamabad and one percent from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Why things have remained the same is a complex question involving many factors. Child Domestic Labour is rampant throughout the country due to which children are silently but gravely abused and exploited inside boundary walls. Most cases of this nature are not reported in the media, rather they are swept under the carpet. This can be due to several reasons, including the regressive rationale that it is a matter of fact practice. Or in the case of sexual assault, to save face given its taboo nature.
Ms. Kayani added, Child Rights Movement appreciates and acknowledge that Government has taken positive steps to rescue Child Domestic Labour case, we propose that the government should immediately do the following to protect other girls and boys who face similar situation almost on daily basis:
1. Issue a notification addressed to all parliamentarians, federal as well as provincial, AJK and GB, judiciary, armed forces-Army, Air Force, Navy Civil LEAs, paramilitary forces, police, all cadres of federal and provincial employees, autonomous and affiliate authorities and organizations on the following:
a: It is illegal to employee any minor aged 16 or below. Child Domestic Labour (CDL) is illegal under the schedule of banned occupations of the Employment of Children act 1991. In certain provincial law it is a police cognizance act. Torture to a minor is defined as heinous crime under CCP and un-compoundable and punishable under the law.
b: Bring a new federal law completely banning CDL.
c: Under article 25- A of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and subsequent legislations by the provinces all children between age 5 to 16 years must be in schools and not working as CDLs or any other employment.
d: All government authorities mentioned above must adopt a child Safeguard policy so that All children under the roof of any government employee are protection from cruelty as defined in article 328 A and child abuse, pornography and trafficking (article 292 A, 292 B, 369 A and 377 A) of the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act 2016.
2. The Ministry should raise awareness on the protection from abuse neglect, exploitation and violence on urgent basis using the Criminal Law (Second Amendment) Act 2016 and that violence against children in any form will not be tolerated.
