Project Overview
RSIL was commissioned by UNICEF to develop a report which examined international and national best practices on the elimination of child labour and carry out a legal review of Pakistan’s domestic laws vis-à-vis its international legal obligations.
Project Outcomes
A comprehensive report was prepared by RSIL which compiled international and national best practices on the subject area and examined the domestic legal framework relating to minimum age and the mechanisms relating to age identification, record keeping and reporting. In addition, the report also examined the range of sanctions and penalties under federal and provincial laws and compared these with international standards. A significant part of the report focused on the prevention of exploitation and examined the laws, procedures, standards and prevention mechanisms relating to slavery and related practices, sale and trafficking children, debt bondage, forced and compulsory labour, child prostitution and child pornography.
Following the development of this report, RSIL organized and hosted a large provincial consultation in collaboration with the Government of Punjab and UNICEF on a proposed Child Labour Law in Punjab province and played a key role in raising the draft text of the proposed law. Our efforts ultimately contributed to the enactment of the Restriction of Employment of Children Act by the Punjab Assembly in 2016.