HYDERABAD, Dec 21: An annual general meeting of the National Coalition Against Bonded Labour held at a local hotel on Saturday evening called for enforcement of laws on bonded labour and other labour laws in letter and spirit.

The meeting was attended by I.A. Rehman of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Karamat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, Qindeel Shujaat and Iqbal Detho of the Society for Protection and Rehabilitation of Child and Adam Malik of Actionaid.

A resolution adopted at the meeting said that liberated female bonded labourers should be given priority in allotment of agricultural land among landless women by the Sindh government.

It called for the formation of a parliamentary committee to review Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1992, its rules of 1995 and Sindh Tenancy Act-1950 until amendments were made in the laws.

It said that in compliance with apex court’s directives of October 20, 2006 to provincial chief secretaries, as a short-term measure the standing operating procedures should be formulated by provincial governments for a mechanism through labour departments for registration of brick kilns.

It stressed the need for sensitizing and training police and judicial officers at district and provincial level.

The resolution said that progress should be made regarding the National Plan of Action-2001 for eradication of bonded labour and rehabilitation of freed labourers through effective activation of the national steering committee and utilization of the bonded labour fund.

It said that the process of access to the fund should be simplified and it be made available to freed bonded labourers for emergency situations.

It said that the institution of the district vigilance committee, main organ of monitoring under the bonded labour law, should be activated and linked to provincial legal aid cells.

The resolution said that obligations under International Labour Organisation and other conventions and recommendations should be met.

The meeting demanded recovery of family members of Manu Bheel and 78 missing bonded labourers of Mirpurkhas.

It said that boned labourers and skilled workers should be given land to enable them to earn a livelihood and minimum wages should be applied in all sectors including informal one.

It demanded withdrawal of fabricated cases against recently freed bonded labourers, pointing out that 100 such cases had been registered against 3,000 freed labourers.

The meeting called upon the government to implement obligations of International Covenant on Economic and Social Cultural Rights through legislation and give priority to elimination of bonded labour.

It urged civil society to be more sensitive and attentive to plight of bonded labour.

The coalition is an alliance of several civil society organisations with the objective to ameliorate the lot of bonded labourers through joint struggle for acceptance of their rights. It aims at highlighting the issue of bonded labour.