LAHORE: The City District Government of Lahore has asked industry owners and businessmen to submit the credentials of their employees aged 15-18 years such as their salaries or wages and addresses by Aug 12 with assistant commissioners (ACs) and assistant or deputy superintendent of police (DSP) of their areas.

Those failing to meet the task will face a crackdown starting from Aug 14 under the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Ordinance of 2016.

Under the ordinance, the Labour and Human Resource Department has also appointed the Lahore district coordination officer and the capital city police officer as district inspectors and ACs and assistant or DSPs as circle inspectors.

The ordinance would come into force from Aug 14, DCO retired Capt Muhammad Usman said at a meeting on Friday.

He said under the law those not submitting the detail of employees would face cases leading to one month imprisonment or a Rs10,000 fine or both. Similarly, those not maintaining such record or concealing or forging it would be handed down the same punishment. Likewise, those factory owners will be sent to jail for seven days to six months in addition to bear a Rs10,000 to 50,000 fine if 15-18 years old people were found in their workplace with hazardous jobs. The same punishment will be for those who employee children below 15 years.

“It’s better for all of us to follow the ordinance for the betterment of children and rule of law,” the DCO added.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2016