Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved the formation of a high-level steering committee aimed at eliminating forced child labour across the province, according to an official notification on Thursday.
The newly formed 15-member committee will be chaired by Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, while former MNA Mohsin Shahnawaz Ranjha has been appointed as the co-chairman.
The notification states that provincial ministers for School Education, Investment & Commerce, Industries, Social Welfare & Bait-ul-Maal, and Skills & Small Enterprises Development will serve as committee members. Secretaries from key departments—including Home, Labour & Human Resource, School Education, Industries, Social Welfare, and Skill Development—along with the Chairman PITB and the DIG Police, have also been included.
According to sources, the committee will conduct sector-wise mapping to identify industries and workplaces where forced child labour is prevalent. Data will be collected from factories, brick kilns, agriculture, fisheries, workshops, and auto-repair sectors. A centralised provincial databank, integrated with AI and GIS technology, will be established to monitor cases and trends.
The committee will also identify high-risk districts and sectors, design alternative pathways for affected children, and develop short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to eradicate forced child labour. It will also prepare implementation plans for all proposed measures.
In addition, the body has been tasked with launching public awareness campaigns targeting parents, teachers, and communities, while also developing performance indicators to evaluate institutional efforts.
Officials say Punjab is the first province in Pakistan to launch such a comprehensive framework, which is expected to improve its global ranking on child labour elimination.
