SAARC was formally established on December 8, 1985. It comprises eight-member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on January 17, 1987.
It is imperative to revisit the deliberations of SAARC summits, as they complement and reinforce the objectives of the ILO—objectives that remain central to our global commitment to eradicating child labour. Each year, especially on June 12, the World Day Against Child Labour, we renew this commitment and pledge to advance further in protecting the rights and dignity of every child
Children’s agenda in SAARC
SAARC was founded during its first summit, held in Dhaka on December 7–8, 1985, with the signing of the charter by the heads of seven founding member states. Afghanistan joined SAARC as its eighth member in April 2007.
During ministerial conferences in Delhi (1986), Colombo (1992), and Rawalpindi (1996), the member states reached a consensus on the need to expedite social action to realize children’s rights.
At the Ninth SAARC Summit, the Male Declaration of 1997 urged member states to intensify efforts to reduce malnutrition and mortality rates, raise literacy levels, delay early marriage, and postpone the age of first pregnancy—especially to improve the status of the girl child. The Summit also strongly condemned trafficking, prostitution, child labour, exploitation, and malnutrition.
The Tenth SAARC Summit, held in Colombo in 1998, emphasized the importance of promoting nutrition, health, and protection for children. Reaffirming the Rawalpindi Declaration of 1996, the heads of state committed to adopting policies aimed at reducing infant mortality, promoting universal education, eliminating gender disparities, and enhancing child welfare. The Summit also stressed the need to prevent violence against children—including child pornography, prostitution, trafficking of women and children, and other forms of exploitation.
Combating trafficking
Every SAARC Summit has underscored the importance of combating trafficking in women and children. The Twelfth SAARC Summit, held in 2004 in Islamabad, reaffirmed the commitments made at the Eleventh Summit. Progress was made towards establishing the SAARC Autonomous Advocacy Group of Prominent Women Personalities (SAWAG). The Summit emphasized the urgent need for ratification of two key conventions: the SAARC Convention on Child Welfare and the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution. This Summit reiterated that child protection is central to the welfare and wellbeing of South Asians.
The Thirteenth SAARC Summit in 2005, held in Dhaka, reaffirmed the commitment to address trafficking and expressed satisfaction at the ratification of the aforementioned conventions by all member states. It called for their prompt and effective implementation.
The Fourteenth SAARC Summit in 2007 in New Delhi noted that many women and children remain disadvantaged and continue to lack equal opportunities for economic and social development.
Development Fund
Similarly, the Fifteenth SAARC Summit in 2008 in Colombo endorsed the signing of the Charter of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF) and the finalization of its by-laws. The Summit also called for early ratification of the SDF Charter and expressed satisfaction with the establishment of projects focusing on women’s empowerment, maternal and child health, and teacher training under the SDF’s social window, as directed by the Finance Ministers.
The Sixteenth SAARC Summit in 2010 in Thimphu welcomed the comprehensive directives of the Colombo Statement on Children of South Asia, which highlighted the importance of assessing the SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child (2001–2010) and its follow-up. The Colombo Statement, issued on July 10, 2009, in Colombo, outlined various child rights concerns, including addressing child malnutrition in South Asia.
The Seventeenth SAARC Summit, held in 2011 in Addu City, Maldives, emphasized the urgent need to finalize the SAARC Regional Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution to enable its adoption at the next summit.
Kathmandu Summit
The Eleventh SAARC Summit of 2002, held in Kathmandu, motivated the member states to take significant steps in women’s empowerment, poverty eradication, child protection, and the prevention of trafficking. It also urged the strengthening of national strategies and action plans to ensure that all children—particularly girls—had access to quality primary education by 2015.
The Eighteenth SAARC Summit in 2014, adopting the Kathmandu Declaration with the theme “Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity,” called upon relevant authorities to take effective measures to prevent trafficking in women and children and ensure their protection.
Speaking through data
Child labour remains a critical issue under the Sustainable Development Goals too.
According to conservative estimates, 16.7 million children aged 5–17 are engaged in child labour across South Asia, with 10.3 million of them aged 5–14. Children aged 5–11 account for roughly one-fifth of all child labourers in the region. There are considerable variations in child labour prevalence across countries. In absolute terms, India (5.8 million) has the highest number of child labourers, followed by Bangladesh (5.0 million), Pakistan (3.4 million), and Nepal (2.0 million). Proportionally, Nepal has the highest risk, with over 26 percent of its 5–17-year-old population involved in child labour.
The child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2056 (2000), is a special legislation, which aims to prohibit the child labour in Nepal. Despite this, the child labour is one of the biggest concerns in the Himalayan republic.
The Labour Market Profile 2022/23 shows that 29 percent of children are engaged in labour in Nepal. In addition to it, 3.2 percent of children are involved in hazardous forms of child labour—this figure is significantly higher than the average for the Asia/Pacific region, where 5.6 percent of children are engaged in labour and 2.6 percent in hazardous conditions.
The economic recession of 2020/21 also pushed more children into child labour. According to the Nepal Child Labour Report 2021, the child labour rate among children aged 5–17 is 15.3 percent, while the rate among the 14–17 age group is 10 percent.
The percentage of female child labourers stands at 17 percent, compared to 14 percent for male child labourers. This highlights a concerning reality that girls are disproportionately more vulnerable to being engaged in child labour.
By provincial distribution, Karnali Province has the highest child labour rate at 20.9 percent, while Bagmati Province has the lowest at 8.9 percent. The COVID-19 pandemic has also contributed to an increase in child labour across the country.
Way forward
To date, 18 Summit meetings of SAARC Heads of State have been held. The Nineteenth Summit, scheduled for November 9–10, 2016, in Islamabad, Pakistan, was indefinitely postponed.
Notably, the year 1990 was designated as the SAARC Year of the Girl Child, the decade 1991–2001 as the SAARC Decade of the Girl Child, and the decade 2001–2010 as the SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child. The Ninth Summit in 1997 gave significant impetus to issues concerning women and children. Following this, SAARC adopted two landmark conventions: the SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia and the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution.
However, SAARC has largely become symbolic in recent years, achieving limited tangible progress. The Nineteenth Summit remains in limbo, a casualty of the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan, leaving the South Asian regional project in a state of stagnation.
Reviving SAARC could play a crucial role not only in fostering regional cooperation and sustainable development but also in protecting and promoting children’s rights. It is high time that the member states realize, recognize, and revitalize SAARC.
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