Pakistan Earthquake - Child Labour Response

An earthquake registering 7.6 on the Richter scale hit Pakistan and parts of India on 8 October 2005, affecting an estimated 28 000 km2 of territory with colossal loss of human lives and tremendous damage and destruction to housing, infrastructure and economic assets. Amongst the areas severely affected are Mansehra, Battagram, Kohistan and Abbottabad in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Muzaffarabad, Bagh and Rawalakot in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) . According to figures released by the Government of Pakistan, Federal Relief Commission (FRC) and Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) 73,338 people lost their lives. Over 135,000 people have been injured, of which 69,412 sustained serious physical injuries and 58,897 suffered lesser injuries - mostly women, children and the elderly - with thousands becoming disabled and paraplegic. The physical conditions notwithstanding, the emotional trauma that people have suffered is beyond description. Some 400,000 houses collapsed leaving 2.8 million people without shelter. A joint assessment report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Bank estimates the total damage for the completely and partially damaged educational buildings, materials, furniture and equipment to be Rs 19.92 billion (US$335 million) for both AJK and NWFP. Around 5,690, of the over 7,669 the damaged schools are primary and middle schools. About half of the damaged school structures collapsed or are beyond repair and will need to be reconstructed. It is increasingly evident that the large number of families and children who have been affected by the earthquake are subject to a high degree of vulnerability. A large number of school going children have been left without schools, teachers and teaching supplies. This destruction of the educational facilities and resources means that children (especially the orphaned, separated, unaccompanied and disabled) are exposed to serious risks from lack of safe shelter and protection against various forms of abuse and exploitation, including child labour. Response of the Government and international community The Government of Pakistan responded quickly to the earthquake emergency, by setting up the President’s Relief Fund (PRF), appointing the Federal Relief Commission (FRC) with the overall responsibility for overseeing relief efforts targeting shelter, food, clean water and immediate medical care and by establishing the ERRA to facilitate the rebuilding and repair of damaged infrastructure, including housing, roads, bridges, government buildings, schools and hospitals. Broadly, the overall role of ERRA is to coordinate all earthquake relief and rehabilitation work, whereas implementation is to be through the provincial governments (AJK and NWFP). The provincial governments will carry out all implementation through their respective district government. The donor and international community, including the United Nations and its specialized agencies, responded with resources and programmes. They also established Clusters on various themes relevant to the disaster response. Project approach and strategies The proposed ILO-IPEC Pakistan Earthquake Response Child Labour Project will be implemented within the framework of the ILO-IPEC umbrella project of support to the National Time-Bound Programme, and national Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation framework. ILO-IPEC projects are implemented within the framework of the ILO Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), with the overall goal of progressive elimination of child labour, through strengthening the capacity of countries to deal with the problem and promoting a worldwide movement to combat child labour. Priority is given to the urgent elimination of its worst forms and the provision of alternatives for childen and families. Pakistan has ratified both Conventions No. 138 and No. 182. The proposed Projec

Project symbol

PAK/06/50/USA

Admin unit

CO-Islamabad

Start date

30/09/2006

End date

30/06/2011

Total allocation

1463301

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

1463301

Development Partners

USA, United States Department of Labor, Bureau for International Labor Affairs, Office of Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking

Country/Countries

Pakistan

Outcomes

Child Labour