LAHORE: The Punjab government has disengaged some 88,000 children from brick kilns and rescued 41,000 from the worst form of child labour in other sectors in its endeavour to eliminate all forms of exploitative employments and to ensure a child labour-free economy by the end of 2016.

The Punjab government had launched `Elimination of Child and Bonded Labour project (An integrated project for promotion of decent work)` in 2014 to disengage children from brick-kiln sector and give primary level education and skill training to them. The project, being implemented across the prov-incein three phasesdH2021,has a total financial outlay of Rs5.16bn.

The labour department combed the auto-workshops, petrol pumps and hotels/restaurants besides brick kilns to disengage children from labour. It is enrolling these children in schools and offering them stipend as well as financial assistance to their f amilies.

In order to give legal backing to the drive, the government has already enforced the Punjab Prohibition of Child Labour at Brick Kilns Act 2016 and Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act 2016.

The Punjab government also rolled out Punjab Labour Policy 2015 and Domestic Workers Policy 2015, approved the Home-BasedWorkers Policy 2016 and amended the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1992.

The department conducted 9,047 inspections at brick kilns and found 790 child labour violations. It sealed 223 brick kilns, lodged 758 FIRs and arrested 791 persons.

Besides the mega project, the government is running two other projects `Combating Worst Form of Child Labour` and `Elimination of Child Labour (Bonded Labour) at Brick Kilns` Rs159m and Rs196m, respectively, in four districts.

Under Annual Development Programme (ADP) scheme for eliminating child labour at brick kilns in Faisalabad, Gujrat, Bahawalpur and Sargodha districts, 200 Non-Formal EducationCentres (NFECs) had been established where about 5,821 learners are presently studying. About 527 children have been mainstreamed into formal schools located nearby their residences while 744 adult learners have completed their literacy course.

The government distributed 7,000 health and hygiene kits among the enrolled children and adult learners at brick kilns and provided medical treatment to some 956 brick kiln workers. The government has also processed some 9,046 CNICs in the four target districts.

Under the `Combating Worst Forms of Child Labour`, project in Chakwal, Jehlum, Jhang and Layyah, some 4,200 children (5-14 years), disengaged from the workforce, had been enrolled in 120 NFECs.

As many as 120 Literacycum-Skills Training Centres (LSTCs)for theimparting of skill development training had been set up for adolescents (14-18 years age).

Under the chief minister`s initiative for `Elimination of Child Labour at Brick Kilns, some 87,013 children have been enrolled in schools and financial assistance worth Rs221m has been provided to their families through Khidmat Cards.