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| India-Pakistan |
| Campaign against bonded labour launched in Sindh |
| 2009-03-25 |
| The representatives of the Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (Sparc) on Monday announced that a campaign against bonded labour had been launched across Sindh, which would conclude on March 27. Kashif Bajeer, Sparc National Manager for bonded labour programme and other representatives made this announcement at a news conference at the Hyderabad Press Club. He said Sparc wants to fight the menace of bonded labour, particularly the existence of bonded child labour in the province through the mobilisation of government departments concerned and the civil society. Kashif said Sparc was successfully running bonded labour projects in four districts of Sindh -- Mithi, Umerkot, Sanghar, Hyderabad and one in Muzaffargarh in the Punjab with the support of TroCair International. He said 6,000 bonded labourers had been helped in provision and issuance of national identity cards, vote registration, birth registration certificates of their respective children and enrolling them with Ushr, Zakat and Bait-ul-Mal departments. He said so far 5,000 bonded labourers had been gotten released through courts. Kashif said Sparc is starting an awareness campaign from March 23, which will last till March 27. In this campaign, short marches will be arranged in various cities of the province while the final short march will be held in Hyderabad on March 27. This march will start from Fateh Chowk and end in front of the Hyderabad Press Club. The freed bonded labourers and members of the civil society will join the march, he said. He demanded that existing laws on bonded labour and other labour laws should be implemented in letter and spirit, which are poorly implemented. He said till amendments are made in the relevant laws, a parliamentary committee should be constituted to review the existing laws such as the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act (BLSAA-1992) and its rules 1995 and Sindh Tenancy Act 1950, which is already pending in Sindh Assembly. Kashif said in order to expedite the progress regarding National Plan of Action 2001 for the eradication of bonded labour and rehabilitation of freed bonded labourers effective activation of National Steering Committee and utilisation of Bonded Labour Fund was urgently required. |
| Posted by:Fred |