Almost nine years after a BBC investigative current affairs documentary exposed how Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) was procuring surgical instruments manufactured, in part, from child labour here in Pakistan — nothing much has changed. Panorama’s Surgery’s Dirty Secrets was screened back in the summer of 2011. It found that 20 percent of medical tools making their way to the NHS were unsafe for use. At the time, 70 percent of these came from Sialkot in the Punjab; where concerns were first raised about child labour. The revelations prompted a review of procurement procedures, including draft guidelines on ethical purchasing. Though no NHS trust was mandated to adopt these. That this represented a gross failure on the part of the British authorities cannot be over-emphasised. Indeed, fast-forward to today and it’s exactly the same story; with the NHS this week admitting that Pakistani children may still be making instruments for its doctors. This simply isn’t good enough. Certainly, the Pakistani government shares the burden of responsibility for violating its domestic and international obligations. Less than two years ago, the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Ordinance, 2016 came into effect. Among other provisions, this criminalises the employment of minors in ‘hazardous industries’. In addition, the country remains bound by the UN sustainable development goals to eradicate all child labour by 2025. But above and beyond all this — Pakistan is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. As is Britain. Meaning that if any punitive measures are to be awarded these should not exclusively target us. Nor are we interested in hearing about the complexities of the NHS chain-of-command when it comes to outsourcing goods and services. Indeed, these are considerations that ought to have been fully reviewed by both the Conservative and previous Labour governments. Especially as this practice is putting the lives of our children as well as that of the British citizenry at risk. London must put in place a comprehensive verification system, including on-the-ground checks. After all DFID has a strong presence here in this country. And it’s about time it earned its keep instead of informally outsourcing — as it has in the past — the tracking of donor funding to local journalists covering specific beats; particularly education. Thus Britain’s international development agency should also work hand-in-hand with the Surgical Instruments Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (Simap). And then it must act on the urgent recommendations of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group and have the protection of workers’ rights written into the NHS constitution. While Pakistan must focus sincerely and wholeheartedly on strengthening its national institutions. As for the UN, it needs to find its bite. As always. * Published in Daily Times, February 3rd 2018.