Karachi, June 11: Children working as domestic aides in households are increasingly dying at the hands of their employers and the government should pay urgent attention to their woes. The recommendation has been made in the annual report of Society for the Protection for the Rights of Child (Sparc) published on June 10 for the World Day against Child Labour, which falls on June 12. The report also recommends an extensive national child labour survey be undertaken to gauge the magnitude of the problem in the country. All stakeholders must be involved in designing the survey to ensure that it adequately addresses all aspects of child labour. The last child labour survey was done in 1996 which estimated that around 3.3 million underage labourers worked in Pakistan. Children … [Read more...]
Report on State of Pakistan’s Children 2012 launched
ISLAMABAD, May 29: The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child on May 28 launched the annual report ‘The State of Pakistan’s Children 2012’. The launch was attended by civil society representatives, government officials and media personnel. The chief guest for the occasion was Federal Minister Sania Nishtar. The report provides a systematic overview of annual developments in various sectors that are relevant to children including child rights, education, health, violence against children, administration of juvenile justice and child labour. In this regard, the report contains a number of recommendations pertinent to each sector to guide policy makers and government functionaries in effectively securing the rights of children. The 2012 report provides a dismal … [Read more...]
HRCP report paints grim picture of human rights
Islamabad, April 5: Presenting a grim picture of human rights situation in Pakistan, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) launched its much-awaited annual report ‘State of the Human Rights in 2012’ on Thursday. The report terms 2012 a year of challenges for Pakistan where government did not prove ‘equal to the task’ but side by side mentions the completion of the democratically elected government as an unprecedented milestone. The report also mentions that 2012 saw a state of confrontation between the judiciary and the executive. As a result, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was convicted of contempt of court and lost his office and seat in the National Assembly. His successor barely escaped the same fate and eventually complied with the SC order. The report says … [Read more...]
1.3m youths among 3.2m jobless
ISLAMABAD, June6 : The government has admitted that the alarming rate of unemployment in the country had a bad socio-economic impact on the people, especially youths. According to the annual plan released with the 2011-12 budget, the country`s labour force is estimated at 58.4 million – 45.1 million or 77 per cent males and 13.3 million or 23 per cent females – and 3.2 million of them are jobless. The youth population is estimated at 36.2 million and 16.2 million of them are in the category of labour force. Only 14.9 million youths are employed while the remaining 1.3 million or 8.4 per cent are jobless. “Unemployment among the youth has not only a social dimension but also shows wastage of trained and young population of the country. The government is cognizant … [Read more...]
Unemployment stands at 35% against official figure of 5%
ISLAMABAD, May 14: The Planning Commission’s chief economist Jaffar Qamar on May 13 differed with the official figure of five percent unemployment in the country, and claimed that the rate of unemployment stood at 35 percent, official sources informed Daily Times. Giving a detailed presentation on the “state of economy” during the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) meeting held at the Planning Commission’s auditorium, the chief economist informed the participants that per capita income in the country had increased, however, purchasing-power had not witnessed any surge in the recent years. It was informed to the APCC that economy was facing a loss of two percent of the GDP (over Rs 350 billion) due to the power and energy shortfall and that the government should focus … [Read more...]