LAHORE, Pakistan: The Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has lauded UNICEF for its Rs 50 million financial assistance to accomplish Provincial Child Labour Survey.
During a meeting with Chief Child Protection UNICEF Pakistan Sarah Coleman here on Tuesday, he said, the Punjab Labour & Human Resource Department was conducting a survey regarding child labour with a total ADP project cost of Rs 140.187 million.
He said, the survey conducted at household and grass roots level, will be completed in 18 months till May 2017.
Child Protection Specialist UNICEF Pakistan Sohail Abbas, representative of UNICEF Lahore Chapter Dr. Noman Ghani, MPA Saira Iftikhar and Secretary Labour Ali Sarfraz attended the meeting.
The meeting was informed that previously Child Labour Survey was conducted in 1996, however a huge increase in the number of industrial and commercial units has been observed during last a few years which required an updated, authentic and credible survey regarding accurate facts and figures about child labour occurring in the province.
He said, Punjab government decided to initiate a provincial level survey with the partnership of Board of Statistics, measuring exact figures of child labour which would help to curb this menace from the society with concrete efforts of all the stakeholders.
Minister Labour informed UNICEF representatives regarding different programmes of Labour Department including a Rs 180.832 million project to eliminate worst form of Child Labour, successfully continue in Jehlum, Layyah, Jhang and Chakwal to educate poor children, enabling them to get skill training and proper jobs hereafter.
Chief Child Protection UNICEF Pakistan Sarah Coleman said that UNICEF would provide all possible financial as well as technical assistance to Punjab government to eliminate Child Labour.
She lauded the efforts of Punjab government for its different projects initiated to eliminate all forms of Child Labour, particularly appreciating the Integrated Project to Eliminate Child & Bonded Labour from the province worth Rs 5.2 billion.
Source: APP
