LHC sets age limit on child labour; orders kilns’ registration in 6 months

Lahore: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued orders to the Punjab Government to register all brick kilns in the province within the next six months; along with imposing a ban on the employment of children under the age of 14 in all sectors of the economy, according to news sources.

The court strictly instructed the federal and Punjab government to ensure and take measures against the elimination of child and forced labour in all sectors of the economy, including mining, brick kilns, tanneries, glass-bangle weaving, carpet-weaving, fisheries, construction and agriculture.

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The SC acknowledged that the key step in doing away with the child labour is the strict implementation of the law, which is the responsibility of the government and its functionaries.

Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh urged the authorities concerned to tackle the issue of child labour in a 32 page order issued at LHC Bahawalpur bench. The court also ordered the Punjab secretary labour and human resource department to make certain that all brick kilns register under the Factories Act, 1934 within the timeframe of six months starting from February 2.

As per the regulations, no brick kiln owner or manager shall give any advance to a worker exceeding Rs 50,000, and every brick kiln owner/ manager shall maintain a register of advances in the recommended manner. No industrial, commercial or agricultural establishment, factory, mine, workshop, business, trade, industry or other place where economic activity takes place shall employ a child below 15 years of age, as authorized by the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act, 2016. It shall also not engage any adolescent (15-18 year-old) to perform any unsafe work in the establishment as specified in the schedule to the said Act. Additionally, the work hours of every adolescent shall be in compliance with Sections 5 & 6 of law.  

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The government is further required to notify the District Vigilance Committee (DVC) for every district of the province about the child labour regulations within 30 days, as per the terms of Section 15 of the Punjab Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act, 1992.