Strict Labour Laws.

Forced labour in Pakistan has been politicised, hidden and long-present. While national policies had always been ratified, inaction on the issue has been common as the solution is complex and multi-tiered. This solution is also structural and requires socio-cultural action. On Wednesday, speaking at a meeting on the Inter-Ministerial and Inter-Provincial Steering Committee of National Action Plan (NAP), the Minister for Human Rights stressed the need for salience on the issue and imposing stricter punishments on violators.

Forced labour is difficult to eradicate as it is linked to abject poverty and other institutional problems. At the meeting, inter-governmental cooperation was a major point of discussion as the solutions to these human rights violations require a united front from all sectors. It is true that the federal and provincial governments must work on standardising regulations in working hours across industries. Likewise, NAP recommendations and ILO conventions must be adapted into the legal framework.

To put the issue in numbers, despite the 2016 Sindh Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1.7 million bonded labourers in Sindh still...

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