Islamabad - Speakers at the conference were unanimous in their views to ensure protection of children rights strictly in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child and other rights bodies’ guidelines and devise a model law for eradication of child labour and other forms of children exploitation in the country.

Scholars and representatives of various national organizations, including parliamentarians, discussed the poor plight of children rights at a moot organised by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in collaboration with the United Nations International Children  Educational Fund ( UNICEF) at Bhurbhan.

Taking the floor Justice (Retd) Ali Nawaz Chohan Chairman NCHR said that it took 19 years by Pakistan to adopt UNO convention of Human rights, Pakistan has sighed 27 international treaties and 8 out of them are related to labour rights including children.

Stressing the need for developing a model law for child rights, he pointed out dichotomy in prevalent jurisprudence regarding the age limit fixed for child labour, as Factory Act allows that a child can work at the age of 16 but Constitution of Pakistan prohibits a child to work below the age of 18 years.

He stressed the need for a coherent effort to improve the condition of children and eradication of child labour and child abuse as it would be linked to status of Generalized System Preference (GSP) Plus to Pakistan in near future.

He informed that Punjab, KP and Sind governments adopted the child protection laws and efforts are being made to implement such laws to be implemented in other parts of country including FATA, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan.

Karamat Ali, Executive Director Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, stressed that it was the need of hour to go beyond law making. He said that in 1991 labour Law was passed by parliament but for next five years no proceedings took place in this regard to enact the laws.

He said that land reforms are necessary for the eradication of bonded labour and child labour but the case of land reforms is pending in Supreme Court for the last five years.

Karamat said that only 1 per cent labour workers are organised in trade unions, more than 90 percent workers, mostly children are informal workers and not given any right of trade union so the condition is worse for their rights.

Ms Ingrid Christensen Country Director ILO, Ms Ellen Van Kalmthout Chief of Education ONICEF in Pakistan, Fasih Ul Karim Secretary Employer Federation of Pakistan, Fedrica Di Stef no and Farah Ilyas of UNICEF child rights specialists , Zahoor Awan, Dr Javed Gill Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource development and others also presented the papers in the conference. Member National Assembly and Member of Standing Committee on Human Rights Shazia Sobia, MNA Sajad Khan and Senator Kishwer Zehra also addressed the conference.

The conference also adopted a joint resolution stressing the need of working coherently for the eradication of child labour, child abuses at work place and child education in accordance with ILO Conventions, Conventions on Children Rights and Constitution of Pakistan