ABSTRACT
Effective elimination of child labour in Pakistan requires an integrated approach by the various line ministries in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and civil society groups. The first ever country-wide child labour survey (CLS) was conducted in 1996 which showed that there were 3.31 million child labourers in Pakistan, 2.43 million were boys and 0.88 million girls. In October 2000, Pakistan in co-operation with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) initiated a far-reaching macroeconomic stabilization and restructuring programme. Trade performance has increased but progress in the social sectors has been largely neutralized by high population growth. The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) Pakistan in its study on rag-picker children shows the presence of fewer women scavengers. The National Child Policy and Plan of Action (NCP-PA) provides a broad framework to all stakeholders to act to move towards the goal of eliminating child labour. The NCP-PA calls training programmes for field staff to speed up eradication of child labourhuman resource.
