IT is bitterly cold and a heavy curtain of smog hangs on the horizon, blurring the sight of the brick kiln chimneys in the distance. That the chimneys are not spewing smoke is not odd: the winter months are a time when bricks do not dry out and production is slow. What is surprising now, though, are the several panaflex signs in both English and Urdu, proclaiming that no one under the age of 14 would be allowed to work at the kiln. It is also perhaps unusual that these signs have been put up by the owner of the kiln, Khalid Gujjar. But kiln owners like him constitute a handful, despite the recent drive by the government.

After the Punjab Prohibition of Child Labour at Brick Kilns Ordinance, 2016 was promulgated by the provincial government in mid-January, daily raids have been carried out by the various DCOs. Only a handful of owners have cooperated.

A short journey into the misty fields off Raiwind Road recently reveals a small settlement of labourers near the brick kilns. Gujjar owns three kilns, K1, 2 and 3, all near each other. The government has given students 10 days’ relief from school because of the extreme cold — the relief was extended later — yet many children dressed in bright blue uniforms sit on a straw mat here, revising their lessons. On a normal day they would have been at a nearby government school, the Jodhu Deer High School. One of the older boys stands next to a whiteboard on which he has written out the Urdu alphabet neatly; the children repeat after him. They are braving the cold in light sweaters and no socks. Many suffer from some kind of respiratory illness, and malnutrition is patently obvious from their skin condition. But beneath the yellowness of their eyes there is an excited restlessness; some smile mischievously, others look away shyly.

“We stamped their registration papers and organised their stationery and uniforms ourselves,” says Nazeer Ahmed, the accountant of kiln K1. He points towards a trolley meant for transporting completed bricks. “The boys all pile up in this, and the girls sit in rickshaws, and we take them to the school like this every day.”

In Punjab there are a total of 17,240 labourers residing in about 10,000 kilns. Government statistics show that the number of children between five and 14 years who are not attending school is 23,642, out of which the labour department has provided admission to 21,847 children in nearby schools.

“It is a wonderful initiative that the government has started for the children,” says one mother. “But another major issue we are facing is that of CNICs without which we cannot be registered as citizens of this country or get birth certificates for our children.”

“I must admit we were lazy in thinking about sending our kids to school,” says another mother. “But now that this is law we have to follow it.” Her son Shafaqat has been in school for three years now.

Another boy, Ali Haider, has reached the eighth grade and aspires to join the army. “I want to lead a life different from that of my parents,” he says.

But Munir Ahmed let his daughters study only for seven years and now they take care of the housework.

“The brick kiln owners create a lot of issues but the parents’ attitude is very narrow-minded too,” says Syeda Ghulam Fatima, general secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front. “Most of the kiln owners are influential people, and cause issues for anyone trying to free these labourers from being bonded. We have often faced threats and even dangerous situations. But, hopefully, this time some differences may be resolved.”

Lahore DCO retired Captain Muhammad Usman emphasises that although there are daily raids on kilns, and many owners have been arrested due to violations, he has the ultimate support of the Punjab chief minister and the governor. “We have been given clear directions to arrest anyone violating the ordinance,” he explains. “We called all the owners and warned them about any child found working at their premises. Some cooperated, others refused to admit that there was any such issue. And now we have already raided 169 kilns in Lahore alone and arrested 40 people,” he says. “We will keep visiting these bhattas in order to make it a sustainable system, otherwise these raids will have been pointless — tomorrow they [the owners] will be bailed out and will continue as they were.”

Mr Usman says that most of the children employed in this industry were put to digging and collecting soil for the bricks. During the raids, sometimes, they see children running for cover. But that means something is being hidden from the authorities, he says. “A criminal will always try to hide his crimes,” muses the DCO. “For me, there is little humanity in those who force little children to work in such hazardous conditions. They suffer respiratory problems, skin problems and are seriously malnourished. How are they supposed to break the vicious cycle of bonded labour if they don’t even get a chance to study?”

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2016