Strict Labour Laws – The Nation

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 work under inhumane conditions. While these statistics are limited to Sindh, debt bondage is mostly found amongst agriculture workers in Sindh and Punjab. Specific sectors also have higher prevalence, these include domestic service industries, brick kilns, mining and the wider cottage industry. Bonded labourers also include socially excluded groups that are already facing political disenfranchisement.

While the solution is difficult to comprehend, it is only possible if the effort is multi-sectoral. Therefore, the scope of the issue must be focused on and the strategy must be categorized according to vulnerable groups. Dividing the issue into currently bonded labourers and their families, women and men at risk and families legally released from bondage can initiate a thorough response to the problem. The government must also consider working with civil society organisations already working against the issue in localities.