November 09, 2007	Friday	Shawwal 27, 1428

ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education Zobaida Jalal has asked all the industries to carry anti-child labour messages on their products in order to eliminate this social bane once for all.

“All those industries engaged in the supply of consumer goods of daily use such as detergents, milk, tea and sugar should carry the message on their products to spread awareness of ‘Say No to Child Labour’ in Urdu and English as a part of corporate social responsibility,” she said.

The minister, in a message on the occasion of inauguration of a special centre for needy children, stressed the need for combined efforts to eliminate child labour and urged for nationwide survey on child domestic labour.

The centre for education and training of skill among the children from poor families was inaugurated in a colony inhabited by low income people in the capital.

The government-funded facility called ‘Child Domestic Labour Centre’ set up at French Colony in Sector F-7/4 sector will focus on children working as domestic servants.

The minister said there was a need to develop a national level PC-1 to help expand this project to other parts of the country through the ministry’s provincial and district offices.

She said a request would be made to the ministry of law and human rights and the parliamentary committee on human rights soon to declare child domestic labour as the worst form of child labour and introduce an appropriate legislation in the National Assembly.

Chairperson Idara Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA) Baela Raza Jamil said the purpose of these centres was to ensure mainstreaming of the targeted children in the formal education system and provide them alternate non-exploitative livelihoods. Four similar centres have already been established in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad by a government-assisted non-governmental organization Idara Taleem-o-Agahi (ITA).—APP