PESHAWAR, Dec 16: NWFP Labour and Industries Minister Malik Zafar Azam Khan said on Thursday that he would propose legislation in the next cabinet meeting stipulating punishment for parents who did not get their children enrolled in primary schools.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of a report on the child labour situation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Frontier Regions and Malakand at a hotel, he warned that the industrial sector would face problems if it did not take steps to meet the requirements of the World Trade Organization, which would be enforced in January.

The report of a survey conducted by the child labour cell of the NWFP industries, commerce and labour directorate in collaboration with the International Labour Organization says that Pakistan is struggling with the issue like other developing countries.

It said 3.3 million of the 40 million children in the country were employed. It said the ratio of child labour in the NWFP is second highest in the country after Punjab, with 31.93 per cent of children involved in illegal labour.

The minister said a committee would be formed to work out a plan for coordination among various departments working against child labour in the province.

He said that after taking oath as minister he had ordered raids on industrial units having children in their labour force but the industrialists involved in the practice started propaganda against the government and termed the move a conspiracy against the local industry.

He said children were not provided gloves for packing matches in most of the factories, which was injurious to their health. He said strict action would be taken against such industrial units soon.

Deputy national coordinator of an NGO, Sparc, Arshad Mahmood, said it was difficult to solve the problem without addressing poverty and lack of education. He said 80 per cent of the labour children alleged that they were abused at their work places.

He said 55.6 per cent of the labour children surveyed in the report had suffered injuries, including cuts, burns and fractures, at their work places and the government should take serious note of the issue.

He said the government should take steps for increasing wages as children would be involved in labour until their parents were underpaid. The chief executive of an NGO, De Laas, Gul Meraj Hamayun Khan, said the recommendations of the report should be implemented. She said the government had failed to resolve the issue of child labour because it lacked political commitment.