PESHAWAR: Despite the enactment of clear laws against child labour, the plight of Pakistan’s child labourers is yet to be addressed due to the poor implementation of laws. This was highlighted at a press conference held at the Peshawar Press Club by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) to mark the World Day Against Child Labour. Attended by teachers, journalists, public administrators and notable representatives of civil society, the panellists called for a comprehensive child labour survey across all provinces for the attainment of concrete facts and figures. This they argued would not only help gauge the extent of these injustices against millions of children, but would also help policy makers apply targeted interventions to help curb this menace. Speaking about the need for such a survey Mr. Jahanzeb Khan, Regional Manager SPARC, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said, “The last National Child Labour Survey was carried out more than 20 years ago in 1996, which estimated around 3.3 million children to be working in Pakistan. According to a 2015 study by the ILO, it is estimated that 5.7 million 10-17 year olds, representing almost 20% of all children in the age group are labourers.” These numbers however account mostly for those children employed in the agricultural sectors whereas a large proportion of children working within the informal economy are completely unaccounted for. For instance, the closest figures that are available for the prevalence of domestic child labour are from a 2004 ILO report which states this number as 264,000 children. These numbers appear quite far from the truth considering not only demographic changes over the last decade, but also the lack of any initiatives taken to curb this menace. Furthermore, both natural and man-made disasters in the form of floods, and war-ravaged IDPs have taken a further toll on these numbers for which there has been little evidence or accountability specifically within the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA regions. All panellists were in agreement that the necessary funds and resources be mobilised by the government so that these issues be addressed immediately and halted from deteriorating any further. Speaking of some of the mechanisms already in place, Mr. Khan appreciated the KPK government’s initiative on enacting the Prohibition of Employment of Children Act, 2015. He explained how under this law some of the most vulnerable children in the province were finally offered some form of recognition and legal protection from the government. Highlighting a number of cases where children were offered protection under this law he explained how the act’s clear definitions of ‘light work’ and ‘hazardous work’ could serve as a precedent for child labour laws in other provinces as well. He however pointed out that there still remain certain contradictions within this law, specifically with respect to Article 25-A, which calls for free and compulsory education for all children till 16 years of age. Suhail pointed out that Prohibition of Employment of Children Act 2015 applies to children only under 14 years of age presenting a clear gap in terms of the implementation of these laws. He said, “With 22.6 million Pakistani children still out of school, it is about time that there be a concerted effort at establishing child friendly policies at all levels of government, so that we can directly invest in the future prosperity of our country.”