LARKANA/HYDERABAD: June 10, 2010. (By Nazir Siyal) The Advisor to Sindh Chief Minister Sharmila Farooqui, while addressing one day seminar on “Awareness Session with Labour department and other stakeholders regarding registration workers of brick kiln in labour and social security departments” held at Press Club Hyderabad today, has sought for conducting national survey and establishment of separate court on bounded labour not only to provide easy and speedy justice to the victims of bounded labour but to eliminate this menace from the society. The seminar was organized by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) to create awareness about the registration of the workers, working in brick kiln under the sou moto action taken by apex court. Sharmila Farooqui recommended to the government for constitution of committee comprising on the representation from parliamentarian, government officers, opinion leaders, NGOs and civil society to review on Bounded Labour Act and Sindh Tenancy Act 1950 and make these laws so effective that menace of bounded labour and violation of workers rights be eradicated from this society. She also recommended that crime of bounded labour should be converted into un-bailable offence through amendment in the law. Sharmila Farooqui said that reports of the survey conducted 14 years back in 1996, had revealed that 88% children were put in bounded labour. She said that even government reports at present reveals that 3.3 million people were suffering from bounded labour. She said that due to negligence of previous governments, no attention was given to this violation of basic human rights, but PPP government has planned to provide full legal as well as social protection to the workers at their work place. She said that big industrialists were the main hurdles in implementation of the policies framed by government to provide social security and protect basic rights of the workers. Placing an example, she said that PPP government has raised the minimum wages of worker upto Rs.7000/- but many industrialists who have accumulated huge money from the hard labour of these workers were not willing to pay them according to government policy. She said that now we the government has decided to issue notices to such defaulter industrialists and also to conduct raid on these factories in case they not willing to implement government policies. She said that due to the strict instructions of provincial government as many as 560 brick kiln have been got registered in the province by provincial labour department and social security department. She said that now these government departments have been made responsible to protect all rights of registered workers, including their rights of salary, education, health and other social facilities. However, she pointed out that many owners of brick kiln were providing daily wages at the rate of Rs.300/- instead of Rs.450/- to each worker which according to her was great violation of law. She warned owners of brick kiln to refrain from such violations or face the government action. Sharmila Farooqui lauding the services rendered by NGOs and other organizations in engaging to identify private prisons and get the inmates released, said that provincial government will not only to encourage these organizations but also was planning for rehabilitation of victims of bounded labour by providing them shelter, alternate employment, education and training in different trades so that they can earn their livelihood at their own and pass their lives respectfully. She also expressed her dissatisfaction over the performance of vigilance committees on bound labour and said that more efforts are needed to convert these committees as effective. She lauded the efforts of SPARC for organizing such seminars, which according to her would be proved a source of awareness and inspiration among the workers, stakeholders and common man as well as for elimination of bounded labour from our society. The National Manager SPARC Kashif Bajeer others also spoke on this occasion. He demanded that provincial labour department should intervene and ensure that workers of brick kiln were being provided the wages fixed by the government. The Additional Director Lahour department Makhdoom Taufique assured the seminar that all the owners of brick kiln would be made bound not only to provide due salary but adopt safety measures at their work places. He also assured that all basic facilities would be ensured to the workers of registered brick kiln.