Fourth Newsletter of ILO Pakistan, ‎pdf 3.3 MB - International Labour ...

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International Labour Organization From Child Labour to College undreds of young girls, clad in blue shirts and white shalwas - baggy trousers - teem through HBahgwal Awan girls' college - an uncommon sight in rural Pakistan. Fifteen years ago, this was a small centre set up by the International Labour Organization and a local NGO, Bunyad, providing non-formal education to children who had been working in Pakistan's lucrative soccer ball industry. In partnership with the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and UNICEF, a project was started to remove child labourers from the business and to provide them with educational and other opportunities. Farzana was recruited as a teacher at one of the nonformal education (NFE) centres, which were set up in Sialkot under the scheme. She had 20 children in her class. But when the project ended, as scheduled, after 18 months, Farzana, decided to keep the centre going. “Today, with the support of the community, it is now a college with 650 students,” she explains. “It gives me great pleasure to see that girls from my community can now have their dreams fulfilled. Girls who have graduated from here have managed to carve out their own career and destiny, instead of stitching soccer balls. “We also offer school education which has helped rehabilitate many child labourers, particularly girls.” The ILO, jointly with the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce (SCCI), presented Farzana with an award in recognition of her services to the community, at a ceremony in Sialkot on June 11, to mark the World Day against Child Labour. “She is not only a role model for her community but also for women in other places, demonstrating that individual commitments can bring positive changes to the community and address complex issues like child labour,” said Francesco d'Ovidio, Director of the ILO's country of fice. Shekih Abdul Majid, President of Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries, also praised Farzana for her ef forts. He thanked the ILO for helping to establish institutions like the Independent Monitoring Association of Child Labor (IMAC) and the Child Social Development Organization (CSDO) in Sialkot, which were set up as a follow-on to the Soccer Ball project. “Community participation has helped to promote education as a right for every girl and boy in the area,” Farzana says. “I will ensure that education will continue to be offered to children and youth, par ticularly the girls.” Towards a Better Future orn to a destitute family, young Humera was sent to work when she was only 8 years old. For four years Bshe was supposed to take care of the house, little kids, perform house chores as a part of her duty. Her hands were made to hold the pencil but she was forced to wash dishes and clothes. Besides this endless effort, there was neither job security nor the social liberty. Living nearly a slaves' life, Humera aspired to be an airhostess. Waking up every morning with a hope to change her life! The ILO's child labour project team identified around 24,000 children in Sahiwal who were involved in child labour, Humera was lucky enough to be identified. The project team sensitized Humera's family which was reluctant to send Humera to School because after the death of her father, as she along with her sisters were the only economic support for the impoverished family. Providing microcredit to the family helped to paved Humera's way to Non-Formal Education (NFE) Center. Her mother got the training by ILO's Business Management Skill Training Program on candle making and started to support the family. In this training, they were told about creating broader opportunities for income generation for women smallholders, responding to the changing marketing demands and tapping the emerging market opportunities. Humera was among 5250 lucky children who were enrolled at NFEs. NFE centers established by ILO helped Humera to complete her pre-school training as step-one, step-two and step-three followed by Class one and two. While studying in the NFE Centre, Humera participated in skits in the event of “World Day against Child Labour” organized by PRSP-CACL-II to encourage many other children like her and changing their lives. Today, she is experiencing many firsts from school to sports. She wants to become an Airhostess. She is now graduated to Govt. MC Girls High School, Ghalamandi, Sahiwal. She is pensive, but with an authentic laugh and has grown to be a mentor to the other young girls in her community. 04 September 2013
ILO Pakistan Gender Unit, Department of Labour, Punjab, wins UN Public Service Award Gender Focal Persons Department of Labour with GE4DE team & UNPSA Award he Gender Unit, Department of Labour, Punjab, established under the ILO, CIDA funded project, TPromoting Gender Equality for Decent Employment (GE4DE), has, from amongst 2000 applicants, won a United Nations Public Service Award in recognition of its work on gender mainstreaming. The UN Public Service Award (UNPSA) is the most prestigious international recognition of excellence in public service, worldwide. Currently in its eleventh year, UN Public Service Awards selects winners through an annual competition for awards in five categories: < Preventing and Combating Corruption in the Public Service < Improving the Delivery of Public Services < Fostering participation in public policy decision making through innovative mechanisms < Promoting Whole-of-Government Approaches in the Information Age < Promoting Gender-Responsive Delivery of Public Services The Gender Unit Punjab stood first in the category of Gender Responsive Public Service Delivery, with India's Department of Cottage and Rural Industries and Korea's Seoul Metropolitan Government coming second and third, in the Asia Pacific region. More information on the awards can be found at http://unpan.org/DPADM/UNPSDayAwards/UNPublicServi ceAwards/tabid/1522/language/en-US/Default.aspx The ILO has been working closely with the Department of Labour, Punjab on a number of initiatives that have helped the Gender Unit win the UN Public Service Award, including: < Gender Mainstreamed Labour Inspection for Decent Work. A training module and labour inspection toolkit has been developed, tested through model labour inspections, and will now be rolled out for general implementation. < Childcare Facilities for Kot Lakhpat Industrial Area. A technical and financial feasibility study has been conducted and a PC1 is being prepared for the next development budget. < Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB). Building on work done by the UNDP and others, the ILO is working with DOLs to make their development budgets gender responsive by mainstreaming gender in the PC forms and the development projects portfolio. Tahir Manzoor, Gender Focal Person, Dept of Labour, Punjab receives the award at the ceremony in Bahrain September 2013 05
Page 1 and 2: ILO PAKISTAN International Bi-Annua
Page 3: ILO Pakistan panel of entrepreneurs
Page 7 and 8: ILO Pakistan “Trade unions in Pak
Page 9 and 10: ILO Pakistan ILO launches project,
Page 11 and 12: ILO Pakistan Second consultation on

Fourth Newsletter of ILO Pakistan, ‎pdf 3.3 MB - International Labour ...

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