Bonded labour remained one of the most reprehensible and widespread forms of exploitation in Pakistain even 20 years after the promulgation of a law to abolish it, and the state and civil society needed to redouble their efforts to eliminate the evil, concluded a two-day consultation organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistain (HRCP).The wide-ranging consultation among organizations working for the elimination of bonded labour was held to discuss the issue and suggest ways to eradicate the evil from the country. The consultation concluded on Monday.
The participants of the consultation agreed that since it was universally recognised as a form of slavery, the state had an obligation to attach top priority to eradication of bonded labour. The way the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 had been left unimplemented did not suggest that the gravity of the problem, that affected the rights of several million people, had been adequately realised. The meeting noted that following the devolution of the subject of labour to the provinces, only Punjab had adopted a slightly amended version of the 1992 act. The other provincial governments were asked to expedite issuance of their own laws on the subject. However,
the man who has no enemies isn't anybody and has never done anything...
it was necessary to ensure that no provincial enactment on abolition of bonded labour offered the bonded workers less than what the 1992 act did.
The participants appreciated the decision of the Punjab government to allocate for the second time funds out of its development budget for its bonded labour elimination programme and extend it to four new districts. The meeting hoped that it would be possible soon to bring the whole of the province under the project. The other provincial governments were requested to draw up similar or improved programmes for the uplift of bonded workers. The meeting scrutinised the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 and made a number of recommendations.
The recommendations say
The rules under a new provincial law must be issued as soon as a law is made. Quite a few functionaries do not take up their assignments for want of a notification. The system of notifying implementation authorities should be scrapped and the relevant officials clearly designated in the law or rules.