Child domestic labour to be criminalised.

Byline: Jamal Shahid

ISLAMABAD -- The government has declared child domestic labour a hazardous line of work and decided to criminalise it.

Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari stated on Twitter on Wednesday that cabinet has approved the ministry's summary to amend the 1991 child employment act by inserting child domestic labour in part one of the schedule.

Dr Mazari had been pushing to include domestic labour by children as a hazardous line of work under this act, maintaining that in the absence of legislation to protect domestic workers this would be the fastest way to protect children.

Mazari was referring to the murder of eight-year-old domestic worker Zohra Shah, who was beaten to death by her employer.

The Employment of Children Act 1991 prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in unsafe and hazardous environments such as factories, carpet industries and mines.

Dr Mazari also said on Wednesday that section four of the act empowers the federal government to add any occupation to the schedule through a notification in the official gazette.

'After devolution this applies to Islamabad but one hopes provinces will also move on this. Child in this act is defined as under 14 years of age,' she said.

Human Rights Secretary Rabiya Javeri Agha told Dawn that her office is now waiting for the minutes from the cabinet.

'The relevant ministry then has to add domestic labor to schedule one and notify it. Then it becomes illegal in Islamabad Capital Territory only. The provinces have to do the same in their areas as labour is a devolved subject,' she said, adding: 'Yes, it will then be illegal to...

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