LAHORE, May 18: The electronic and print media should strive for achieving standards of excellence in terms of accuracy and sensitivity, when reporting on issues involving child labour. This was the consensus among participants in a one-day capacity building workshop on ‘Activating the media in combating child labour’ organized by the ministry of information and broadcasting and International Labour Organization (ILO).

The objective reporting to highlight the issue of child labour would play a pivotal role in reducing and finally eliminating incidence of child labour in the country.

According to a handout issued by the Press Information Department here on Wednesday, project coordinator Sabha Mohsin, Journalist for Democracy and Human Rights Shafqat Munir and ILO’s Taseer Alizai said the workshop had been organized to brief the print and electronic media on issues of child labour in order to get their active and meaningful support to combat the issue.

They said Article 11 of the Constitution clearly prohibits all forms of forced labour and trafficking of human beings and child labour. They emphasized the need of a comprehensive enforcement mechanism so that provisions of the constitution could be implemented to eradicate the child labour from the country.

The participants discussed in depth the alarming growth of child labour, mainly due to poverty, and discussed various ways and means to create awareness among public about the issue.

The workshop was attended by journalists from electronic and print media, representatives of the government departments, ILO and NGOs.