PESHAWAR, June 12: Speakers at a seminar on child labour have reminded the government of its “constitutional obligation” to provide free education to children, extend proper facilities for their health and entertainment and help develop their skills.

The speakers said these measures could help boost enrolment figures in schools and serve to curb child labour in the country. The seminar was held here on Sunday in connection with the World Day Against Child Labour.

The event was organised jointly by the International Labour Organisation, Jobs Creating Development Society (JCDS), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and NWFP’s directorate of industries, commerce and labour.

Dr Mohammad Farooq Khan said it was the prime responsibility of the government to provide free health, education and entertainment facilities to children below the age of 12. “These children hold the key to our future. Once they get education and skills, the country will see fast growth and will gain dignity in the comity of nations,” he said.

Quoting one of the sayings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), he said that the progress and development of nations was rooted in hard work. He was critical of the role played by the Ummah and took a dim view of “its lacklustre response towards education and developments taking place in the area of science and technology”.

“If you want justice from Almighty God, you must do justice with your children. It’s also the responsibility of parents to teach their offspring,” he said, adding that it was a crime not to take care of one’s children.

ILO’s project manager, Khalid Hassan, said that there were 250 million child labourers across the globe — a statistic that he described as worrisome. Of this number, he said, one million were involved in mining and quarrying work, regarded as the worst form of child labour under the ILO’s Convention.

Mr Hassan said that in some mines children worked up to 90 meters below the ground with only one rope with which to climb in and out. Child miners also suffer risks emerging from inadequate ventilation and light, he said.

Fakhrul Islam, director of NWFP’s social welfare department, said that the government had already banned domestic child labour and was contemplating other measures to protect children.

Mr Islam faulted teachers, parents and elders for their “harsh and unbecoming attitude against children” which, he said, had damaged their personalities and was a permanent source of discouragement to them.

With a view to reduce child labour, he said the government had established six welfare homes for beggars and 25 institutions for special children in the province.

The seminar was interspersed with beautiful skits by children drawn from informal schools. The skits reflected the children’s attachment to education and highlighted the fact that poverty stood in their way.

Central president Muttahida Labour Federation, Qamoos Gul Khattak said the government had given a free hand to industrialists who employ children on meagre wages. He said that children were forced to work for 10 hours against Rs1,800 per month.

He claimed that the government had done away with the mechanism of inspection and had further emboldened the owners of industries.

JCDS’s programme manager Ali Akbar cited child labour as the main reason for the increase in poverty. He said the poor sent their children to the workplace, instead of school, in their bid to get two-square meals and feed their families.