Karachi, August 25, 2023 (PPI-OT): A big protest demonstration arranged here on Friday demanded of the government to constitute special trial courts to check growing violence against children and child labour. As per details, Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) and National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) Pakistan staged the protest demo in front of the Karachi Press Club (KPC) led by HBWWF general secretary Zehra Khan and veteran labour leader Comrade Gul Rehman, attended by a large number of women, children and civil society members.
Those who spoke included Riaz Abbasi of SITE Labour Forum, Saira Froze of HBWWF, khaliq Junajo of Jay Sindh, Kalid Zadragn, Nuzhat Shireen of Sindh Commission on the status of women, Aqib Hussain of Alternate, Shahzad Mughal, Faiza Siddiqui, Tansgender activists and Sub rang organization members Kami Sid and Nisha Rao, Textile Garments General Workers Union leaders Himat Phulpoto and Iqbal Abro and youth leaders Waqas Qureshi and Kashif Abbasi and Comrade Mangi.
Addressing the demo, NTUF general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that inhuman rape-murder of 10-year Fatima by a feudal Pir family in Raipur and brutal torture on housemaid Rizwana in the house of a judge in Islamabad show the prevailing anti-child mentality of our society.
He said inhuman treatment to house workers in remnants of the slavery system. He said though the slavery system was ended in 1860 but it is still present in our society in the shape of domestic workers in villages, as well as, cities. He said the majority of domestic workers are children. He said Pakistan ranks the third in the countries with highest child labours in the world. As per an estimate there are 11 million domestic workers in Pakistan, more than 3.5 million of them children.
He said as per law a child less than 15 years old can’t be employed for work. As per the construction of Pakistan, slavery, forced labour, human trafficking and child labour are banned, but in every fourth house of Pakistan, children, especially girls are used illegally as domestic workers. Ironically, families belonging to every walk of life are involved to benefit from this child labour.
HBWWF general secretary Zehra Khan said that domestic workers are treated as slaves in our society and they are deprived of all basic human rights. Inhuman treatment meted out to domestic workers, especially children, show the feudal tendencies of our society and people think that they are authorised to use the bodies of these children as per their sweet wish. She said as per an estimate during last few years 96 female child domestic workers were raped and 44 also murdered. They were less than 14 years old. She said these figures were about the reported cases, while the cases of unreported cases were very high.
She said the main reason behind the child labour in Pakistan is poverty, inflation and very costly education. Pakistan ranks second in the countries with the largest number of out of the school children. Only in Sindh there are 92 percent children who are out of school, 60 percent of them females. Most of the out of the school children work along with their parents. She said the killers of Fatima of Ranipur belong to influential feudal Pir family and they are pressurising the government to hush up this rape-murder case. She said we think that this is a test case for the chief minister of Sindh Justice Maqbool Baqar and hope that he would ensure that justice is doled out to the family of Fatima. She said that the incidents like the tragic murder of Fatima and torture on Rizwana demand to take solid steps to stop child labour and torture and inhuman treatment to children.
The protest demo demanded that the laws against child labour should be made further effective and also strictly implemented. They asked that Pir Asad Shah and other people involved in the rape murder of Fatima should be punished as per law. Similarly, the woman involved in forced labour and torture of Rizwana should also be punished and the judge involved in this case should be sacked.
They demanded that for safeguarding the rights of domestic worker’s proper laws should be enacted. They should be registered with the institutions of social security and pension. Speedy trial courts should be established for crimes like chilf rape, torture and forced labour. Talking forced labour from children should be declared non-bailable offence. To provide basic facilities of free education and healthcare to people steps should be taken on war footing basis.
They demanded that feudalism and Pir-worship should be abolished. State lands should be distributed free of cost amongst the landless Haris so that to end poverty and deprivation. To end the child labour ILO Conversation 182 should be implemented.
They regretted that police have failed to arrest accused Hina Shah and Pir Faiz Shah in Fatima murder cases, despite the expiry of their protective bails. They said that influential political and religious figures of the area are pressurising to hush up this rape-murder case. Journalists and social workers are being threatened not to report this case. They demanded from Sindh chief minister Justice Maqbool Baqar to take immediate steps so that justice could be doled out in this crucial case.
For more information, contact:
Home Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF)
726, Mashrique Centre, Block 14, Gulshan-e-Iqbal,
Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92-21-37075324
Website: https://hbwwf.org/