ABBOTTABAD, Jan 8: More than 3.3 million children are victim of child labour in the country and most of them are being employed by various gangs for smuggling and drug trafficking.

This was stated by speakers at a one-day seminar organized by SPARCO (Society for the Protection of the Right of the Child) here at the Abbottabad Press Club.

The speakers said that basic cause of child labour was poverty and lamented that not much efforts had been made to eliminate poverty from the society.

Despite clear instructions and laws of the state, children’s rights were not protected, funds sanctioned for the welfare of the children were misused and misappropriated, they added. Despite enactment of law providing for compulsory education up to primary level, no steps were taken to implement this decision, while juvenile offenders were being kept along with adult prisoners in jail.

Speakers demanded construction of shelter homes for girls with orphanage home for orphans in almost every city, while girls should be taught different skills along with education.

They said strict implementation of laws should be given top priority to eliminate the menace of child labour from the society by creating awareness among the public about the role and duties of society in this context.

Those who addressed on the occasion were executive director of Human Rights Development Society Shafqat Ali Khan, Coordinator of SPARCO Arshad Mehmood, Sardar Abrar Rasheed, Secretery of SPADE Ms Rehana, Rahila Mughal, Nusrat Bibi (councillor) Zakr Paul advocate, Naveed Khan advocate, Naseem Nawaz advocate and Younis Khan Tanoli.