DADU, Nov 20 Speakers at a seminar have said that 41 per cent children do not go to school due to different reasons and they are engaged in child labour in Dadu district.

They were speaking at a seminar on “Role of government and civil society for rights of working children” held at Gymkhana organized by an NGO, TRDP, on Friday.

Dadu EDO education Sajan Mallah said his department was working hard to reopen all closed schools and to enrol all children involved in child labour. But it was not an easy task because many vested interests were involved in the menace.

He appealed to civil society organisations, social workers and parents to extend their support to the government for reopening the closed schools. It was an impossible task in the far flung areas without the help of civil societies and parents.

Ms Nasreen Sheikh of the TRDP said that according to a survey conducted by her NGO, the number of child labour cases was high in Dadu as compared to Jamshoro, Umerkot and Thar districts.

She said that a number of schools were lying closed and according to the survey, 41 per cent children were not attending school; they were involved in child labour.

She said 29 per cent population of the district was poor and they fail to afford sending their children to schools.

She said that due to poverty, children were working to support their parents, which had deteriorated child labour problem.

EDO community development Rizwan Memon said that district vigilance committees under the child labour act were being constituted to control the menace.

Among other programme officers of Save the Children, Ami Habib, Nawaz Janwari and Maqsood Ahmed Qureshi also spoke on the occasion.

Govt urged to protect Manchhar lake

Experts and fishermen have demanded that the Sindh government should establish a Manchhar lake development authority to protect the lake and economy of local fishermen.

Demand was made at a seminar on “Ownership of water and abolishing of contract system” was held at Sehwan on Friday, organised by the Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum. Historian and writer Ishtiaque Ansari said high environmental pollution had destroyed the natural beauty of Manchhar Lake.

He said release of saline water of MNV drain into sweet water of the lake posed a threat to Indus culture and economy of locals.

Professor Aijaz Qureshi said that demanded establishment of a Manchhar lake authority to save that historical and sweet water reservoir.

Vice-chairman of the Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum Ghulam Mustafa Mirani said that due to contract system, feudal lords and influential people had assumed control of lakes and water areas, deprived fishermen of their livelihood.