M53

17 May 1995

CHILD LABOUR IN PAKISTAN

Gordon Bilney, Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs, said today that last night's Foreign Correspondent program on ABC television had brought into sharp focus the plight of children working in conditions of virtual slavery in Pakistan's hand loom carpet industry.

"No-one who saw the program could have failed to be appalled", Mr Bilney said.

Exploitative child labour continues in Pakistan although the Constitution bans slavery and the employment of children of less than 14 years of age in hazardous industries. Pakistan, like Australia, is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which calls on all parties to take appropriate measures to end child labour.

Pakistan's carpet industry is not alone in exploiting the labour of children. The practice thrives in many parts of the developing world where there is poverty and a lack of basic education opportunities.

"The Australian community is concerned about the exploitation of children and condemns child labour. The practice is abhorrent and an abuse of basic human rights", Mr Bilney said. "The Government shares this concerns and in November 1994 prepared a report on exploitative child labour and measures adopted to address the problem.

"We then appointed a high level and tripartite Working Party on Labour Standards to further examine ways of promoting labour standards in the Asia-Pacific region, including a special focus on ways of combating child labour," said Mr Bilney.

The Working Party includes Martin Ferguson, President of the ACTU, Alan Handberg and Narelle Kennedy, senior representatives of employer chambers, ACCI and ACM, and Alan Oxley, Australia's former ambassador to the GATT. It is chaired by Michael Duffy MP, former Minister for Trade.

The Working Party is expected to report to the Government in the second half of 1995. Its terms of reference include an assessment of consumer-driven practices, such as product labelling. This has been promoted in the carpet industry with a "rugmark" label indicating that carpets have not been produced with child labour.

As well, AusAID, Australia's Agency for International Development, is working on developing a series of projects directed at obviating the need for parents to sell their children into bondage.

CANBERRA

For further information contact:

Allen Mawer (Minister's Office): (06) 277 7660