Sindh has 22 labor laws and each district has a District Vigilance Committee. Sindh Human Rights Commission highlights gaps in Sindh’s legislation

Karachi, Sindh  

The critical issues of Trafficking in Persons and Bonded Labor in Sindh were discussed at a session organized by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), in collaboration with the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) here on Wednesday October 2, 2024.

A preliminary coordination meeting and orientation of the Working Group members on combatting trafficking in persons was held at a local hotel in Karachi. The meeting brought some members of Sindh Assembly to lay the foundation for a collaborative approach in addressing these pressing human rights challenges.

Syed Kausar Abbas, Executive Director of SSDO explained that trafficking in persons involves the buying and selling of human beings, treating them as commodities and subjecting them to exploitation and modern-day slavery. This includes forced beggary, child labor, commercial sexual exploitation, prostitution, and organ harvesting.

He added that addressing these issues is the international, legal and moral obligation for combating the menace of trafficking in persons and bonded labor in Pakistan.

Emphasizing the implementation of Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018 to address the menace of Trafficking in Persons and Bonded Labor in Pakistan, he said that the role of parliamentarians is crucial to ensure the legislative oversight and awareness at the constituency level on the issue. “The working group will be effectively playing its part in developing rules of the province and file questions, adjournment motions and resolutions in the Sindh Assembly,” he said.

Iqbal Ahmed Detho, Chairperson of the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), discussed the International Parliamentary Union and various legislative matters, including Article 142.B, criminal law, criminal procedure, and evidence. He highlighted the Sindh Bonded Labor System (Abolition) Act, 2015 and stressed the important role of parliamentarians in influencing areas such as inviting technical experts to standing committees, enabling legislation.

Read: Recruiting agencies accused of Trafficking and Smuggling of Humans

Detho noted that Sindh has 22 labor laws, and each district has a District Vigilance Committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner. He also pointed out gaps in Sindh’s legislation, such as the absence of a law governing Dar-ul-Aman and the lack of daycare centers in the Secretariat premises.

Additionally, Detho mentioned that less than 8% of property rights are given to women in Sindh and shared that there is only one remand home in Karachi and another in Nawabshah. He expressed SHRC’s intent to engage the Speaker of the Assembly to organize training sessions for parliamentarians on standing committees. He outlined SHRC’s role in conducting research, studying treaties and international human rights instruments, making recommendations for effective implementation, and regularly updating human rights protection policies.

Read: Life of slavery — bonded labor in Pakistan

The meeting was attended by several MPAs, including Rehana Laghari, Mahesh Kumar Hasija, Rehan Bandukda, Muhammad Farooq, Khurunisa Mughal, Rukhsana Parveen, Sikandar Khatoon, Tanzila Umme Habiba, Engineer Syed Usman, Naseer Ahmed, Abdul Waseem, Bilal Hussain Khan Jadoon, and Hillar Wassan. (PR)

Read: Special Registration Drive for Brick Kiln Workers in Sindh

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Karachi, Sindh

Provincial Minister for Local Government and Public Health Engineering Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that there is dire need to frame by-laws on child labor and bonded labor not only in Sindh but in the entire country.

He said this today while addressing an event organized in a local hotel in Karachi on Thursday.

Nasir Shah said that child labor, forced labor and human trafficking are unpardonable crimes and are a scourge on society, so it is necessary to have strict legislation to eradicate them.

He added that the incidents of violence against children are increasing day by day in the society, which needs to be combated. “Therefore, we all have to work together, it is not only the responsibility of the government, but the responsibility of every member of the society and this responsibility is also imposed on non-governmental social organizations working in this regard.”

Nasir Shah praised the Sustainable Social Development Organization for its initiatives in this regard and said that its recommendations will be considered to incorporate in the next budget.

He said that abuses against children are a scourge of society and cause of shame and infamy. He added that more responsibility lies on the federal government in the legislation on human trafficking.

Other officials also addressed the event. (PR)

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Tandojam Sindh

National and international experts and policy-making organizations have emphasized better relations between farmers and landlords to eliminate the concept of forced labor from the agricultural sector.

“Nearly 5 thousand farmers have signed agreements with their landlords,” the experts said and added that farmers will be prosperous in the form of better production.

“The farmers have been trained to improve the productivity of the land through organic farming,” experts said speaking at a workshop held under the auspices of Sindh Agriculture University on Thursday.

The workshop titled “Impact assessment validation and learning” was held at the university senate hall, in collaboration with Sindh Government, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the European Union (EU). Several delegates from SAU, Agricultural Research, Agriculture Extension, Irrigation department, CIDA, and social representatives participated.

Addressing the opening ceremony, the Vice Chancellor of Sindh Agriculture University, Dr. Fateh Marri, said that increasing production is necessary for food security, and the comprehensive agreement between the landlords and the peasants regarding shareholding is an important development. “This way, we can ensure food security and Food Production systems can also be implemented.”

He said that the number of incidents caused by poverty in the country, especially in Sindh, is high. If we can increase our production per acre by 5 to 10 percent, the poverty, and unemployment will decrease by 50 percent within the next 10 years.

Ms. Florence Rolle, representative of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) addressed virtually and said that they are working on various agricultural projects in collaboration with the Sindh Agriculture University. The FAO with the financial support of the European Union (EU) is working in the province of Sindh.”

Landless peasants in Sindh usually have access to land as tenants through oral agreements between themselves and landlords, but now a system of better tenancy has been introduced for them, which has had a positive impact on agriculture, and has succeeded in ending the concept of bonded labor in rural agriculture of Sindh.

Mr. James Okoth, head of FAO’s Sindh office, said that all stakeholders have a role to play in sustaining natural resources and encouraging people to invest. In this regard, the government, private institutions, landlords and farmers will have to be brought on the same page.

On this occasion, Mr. Roberto Aparicio Martin of EU presented his remarks virtually, and FAO’s Ms. Marianna Bicchieri, FAO Consultant Dr. Heman Das Lohano, Dr. Junaid Memon, and Raja Ajmal presented their papers on various topics.

Dr. Jan Muhammad Marri, Pro Vice Chancellor, Dr. Muhammad Ismail Kumbhar, Ashfaque Ahmed Nahyoon, and others addressed the event, while group discussions were also held. (PR)

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From Our Correspondent

Nawabshah Sindh

Hari Welfare Association (HWA) has demanded to activate the District Vigilance Committees in all districts of Sindh, especially in flood-hit areas of provinces as the peasants and rural workers facing challenges after floods.

President of HWA Akram Khaskheli addressing a press conference along with peasants Hussain Bux Chutto, Sabir Hussain Chutto, Shahzad Ahmed and others at Nawabshah Press Club on Saturday, said that Sindh and the federal governments have turned a deaf ear to peasants and workers who lost their crops, cattle, houses and source of livelihood during rains and floods 2022.

He said Sindh government failed to protect peasants and workers during and after the rains and floods, which has caused them to become easy prey to greedy and exploitative landlords.

HWA leader feared that in the absence of government support most peasants and farm workers have started working under informal terms and conditions determined by landlords, in which poor families are getting loans/peshgi/advance to survive through the tough times.

He said that such informal arrangements result in debt and bondage, which were already on the rise without being monitored and checked by the district vigilance committees.

According to peasant leader, in 2021, some 14 District Vigilance Committees were formed in only 14 districts of Sindh under the Sindh Bonded Labor System Abolition Act 2015, but none of these are functional and there is no monitoring of the implementation of the Act. “During and after floods, there is a dire role of the DVCs.”

HWA leader said that there are thousands of peasants and rural workers’ families in 17 districts of Sindh without adequate shelter, work, work opportunities, minimum wages, and safe drinking water, health and education services. He added that governments rather than helping to rehabilitate their lives by providing them with shelters and livelihood opportunities have turned a mass of flood-affected peasants and rural workers into beggars.

Khaskheli said that peasants of Sindh are extremely upset on Sindh government’s petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the Sindh high court Hyderabad bench’s landmark judgment that had struck down Section-6 of the Sindh Tenancy (Amendment) Act, 2013 whereby Section 24-C of the Sindh Tenancy Act, 1950 was amended to omit prohibition of begaar (unpaid work). The judgment had also ruled that after the separation of judiciary from executive, assistant commissioners, additional commissioners and commissioners/collectors did not have powers to make decisions in judicial matters under sections 27, 29 and 30 of the Sindh Tenancy Act, and such executive’s actions are against the provisions of Article 175, 202 and 203 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

Akram Khaskheli said that the Sindh High Court had also ordered the government to make amendments in the Sindh Tenancy Act 1950 and take necessary measures including transferring of all peasants’ cases under the STA to the judiciary. However, instead of complying with the High Court’s decision and protecting the rights of peasants in the tyrannical feudal system and structure, the government has sided with feudal lords to curb and violate fundamental rights of peasants in Sindh.

HWA urged federal and provincial governments to provide relief and support to peasants and rural workers rather than rich landlords. Also take extra-ordinary measures to remove water from centers of the many rural districts of Sindh, and provide houses/shelters and state lands for cultivating crops. HWA also demanded that governments should immediately compensate peasants, and farm workers for the loss of their livelihoods, houses, cattle and lives. HWA urged the government to withdraw appeal filed in the Supreme Court and amend the STA in light of the UN Declaration and Sindh High Court’s verdict, and also take necessary measures ordered under the same verdict.

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