LAHORE, June 19: Punjab Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja has said child labour is a social problem that cannot be eliminated by mere legislation.

Giving concluding remarks at a capacity-building workshop on “Activating media in combating worst forms of child labour in Pakistan” here on Tuesday, he said most of the laws had become redundant and required drastic changes.

The criminal justice system was based on the laws framed in 1835 and required upgrade. The provincial government had created a cell, comprising contract personnel, for updating all the obsolete laws, he added.

“Laws are very much there to tackle all the issues including the child labour, but there is ineffective implementation.”

Public interest laws required to be framed in accordance with the social conditions and needed social support for effective implementation. He gave the example of the law on prohibition of juvenile smoking which had not been implemented owing to lack of awareness and public support.

The minister said child labour was persisting because the generality of the people was unaware of the importance of the education and health of children. Rising poverty had led to increase in the menace.

He appreciated the role being played by the International Labour Organisation for combating child labour in Pakistan and called for the cooperation of the media for contributing to its efforts by creating awareness about its evils.

ILO National Project Manager Saba Mohsin Raza said Pakistan had 3.3 million child labourers according to a study undertaken by the Federal Bureau of Statistics in 1994. The number had increased considerably by now because no effective efforts had been made to eliminate the reasons contributing to the menace. —Reporter