Juvenile bonded labourers produced in court

Mon, January 18, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad district administration on Friday produced 10 ‘detained’ juvenile bonded labourers and before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

According to the police, the children were recovered from the jurisdiction of Noon police station.

A day earlier, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had asked the chief commissioner to appear in person if the juvenile were not recovered in 48 hours.

Justice Minallah was hearing the petition seeking recovery of minors working in the brick kiln.

The chief justice remarked that the response of the police would be different had it been the case of detention of a high profile public functionary.

Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat on Thursday informed the IHC that 10 juvenile labourers working in a brick kiln had been moved away before a team from the district administration and police raided the site.

Manzoora Bibi, in her petition, stated that the owner of a bricks company located at Haji Camp Road, Islamabad, had illegally detained the children, aged less than eight years, as bonded laborers.

The police told the court that the brick kiln owners employed the minors as labourers.

The court was told that after the petition was moved and the district administration raided the brick kiln, the owners removed the children to a secret location.

According to police, the minors were recovered after the owner was taken into custody and then he disclosed their location.

Published in Dawn, January 2nd, 2021

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