LAHORE: Students from different public schools of Multan and Bahawalpur districts on Wednesday presented thematic artworks highlighting the menace of child labour in agriculture sector to raise awareness in the community.

The Little Art in collaboration with Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF) hosted an art exhibition on child labour in agriculture in Multan.

Children from all over the country were invited to create artworks on child labour. In Multan and Bahawalpur, The Little Art led workshops with teachers on working with children through art and how to engage them in understanding the issue. In response, the children created artworks that were on display in the exhibition.

The project is supported by ILO’s Eliminating Child Labour and Forced Labour in the Cotton, Textile and Garment Value Chains and is co-funded by the EU.

Multan Arts Council Director Saleem Qaiser said public school children from Multan and Bahawalpur had created wonderful works of art and participated in the exhibition.

Multan Labour Department Director Rana Jamshed and Malik Mukhtar Awan of Pakistan Workers Federation said they were able to work in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan to train teachers in using arts with children to educate them and communities on child labour through this project.

International Labour Organisation National Project Coordinator Faisal Iqbal said the children were expressing creatively through arts and they belonged to the most disadvantaged section. “I am also thankful to Multan Arts Council for hosting this wonderful exhibition in the art gallery.”

Little Art Senior Manager Umair Mushtaq said the children from public and small private schools were engaged for the project to express themselves through art on the issue of child labour.

He said over the past 15 years, they were engaging the children in dialogue on issues that affect them as a matter of their fundamental right.

The speakers further said the children working in agriculture were facing various forms of exploitation, including long working hours, hazardous work conditions, and low pay.

They said the problem is exacerbated by poverty and limited access to education, which makes it difficult for families to keep their children out of work.

They said the government should take steps to address the issue by implementing laws that prohibit child labour, and promote education.

The child labour in agriculture is a serious issue in Pakistan. According to the ILO, over 10 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour, with a significant portion of them working in the agriculture sector.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2023