Peshawar
\nDepartment of Labour, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with technical assistance from UNICEF organized a one-day consultation with key stakeholders to review the KP Child Labour Policy and propose recommendations for its reforms held in Serena Peshawar on 26 March 2025.
\nThis consultation was attended by various line departments including P&DD, Education, Health, Agriculture, Industries, Social Welfare and KP CP&WC as well as UNHCR, ILO and academia.
\nIn his opening remarks, Mr. Irfanullah Khan, Director Labour elaborated the need to review and reform the existing KP Child Labour Policy 2018 under the leadership of Labour Minister and Secretary Labour Department, KP.
\nHe elaborated that when developing the KP Child Labour Policy in 2018 it was based on previous data that had been collected in 1996 and was fragmented and did not cover the full picture of child labour prevalence in the province. While acknowledging the technical support from UNICEF, he mentioned that in February 2024 the Department of Labour was able to launch the findings and recommendations of KP Child Labour Survey co-financed by KP Government and UNICEF.
\nThis was first ever survey that collected data from 49,734 households (5,976 urban and 43,758 rural), including Merged Districts. The KP Child Labour Survey Report mentions 11.1% of children are working children; of which 80.0% are in child labour while 73.8% of them are working in hazardous conditions.
\nThe major four industries for child labour reported are: agriculture, forestry and fishing at 51.6%; water collection at 19.1%; wholesale and retail trade at 9.7% and manufacturing at 7.7%. He emphasized that this latest data had demanded to review the 2018 KP Child Labour Policy and present it for reforms.
\nMr. Sohail Ahmad, Child Protection Specialist \u2013 UNICEF, in his presentation updated all the participants about the KP Child Labour Policy review process and the objectives of the broader consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
\nHe elaborated that meeting the government\u2019s commitment to eradiate child labor in all its forms under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the emerging evidence from the KP Child Labour Survey demands a renewed policy direction and vision that should inform government\u2019s decisions to see KP free from child labour and economic exploitation of children. This policy should therefore be progressive and transformative rather than just limited with the parameters of existing provisions in the legal framework.
\nHe also encouraged all stakeholders to review the policy from the point of view of the contributing factors and roots causes of child labour which this new policy direction should aim to address.
\nHe therefore emphasized on the review of the child labour definition in the existing legal framework and making it more inclusive and encompassing so that the parameters of the policy should cover the socio-cultural and institutional factors as well.
\nDuring the consultation all participants were provided full orientation on the existing evidence around child labour and policy gap analysis conducted through Oxford Programme Management (OPM). All participants went through the details of the drafts in group works and discussions and prepared their set of recommendations and feedback.
\nMr. Radoslaw Rzehak, Chief Field Office, UNICEF extended his heartiest appreciation to the Minister Labour, the Secretary and the Director Labour Department for their leadership to prioritize child labour at the policy and political levels. He also extended UNICEF\u2019s continued commitment to the Labour Ministery for critical assistance to ensure introducing a progressive and transformative child labour policy in KP.
\nHe also emphasized that policy reforms should be based on learning by doing for which the Department of Labour and stakeholders should agree to test an intervention model in few select districts the learning from which should further enrich the policy, legislative and institutional reforms including the increased public expenditures needed to ensure the gradual eradication of the child labour in KP.
\nMr. Fazal Shakoor Khan, Labour Minister KP appreciated the contributions from all stakeholders to reform the KP Child Labour Policy and extended his gratitude to UNICEF for its continued technical assistance. He mentioned that poverty and the poor financial capacities of families is a major contributing factor to child labour and unfortunately children become significant source of contribution to the family income.
\nHe shared his vision to see children becoming skilled, educated and productive citizens and source of development of KP and Pakistan and encouraged all stakeholders to provide realistic proposals to the Department of Labour for finalization of this policy draft.
\nHe committed to take this forward under his leadership for approval from the Cabinet and oversee its implementation and monitoring.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Peshawar Department of Labour, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with technical assistance from UNICEF organized a one-day consultation with key stakeholders to review the KP Child Labour Policy and propose recommendations for its reforms held in Serena Peshawar on 26 March 2025. This consultation was attended by various line departments including P&DD, Education, Health, Agriculture, Industries, Social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-469548","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-peshawar"},"yoast_head":"\n