Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2013, published 103rd ILC session (2014)

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) - Pakistan (Ratification: 1994)

Promotion of employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The Committee notes the report submitted by the Government in December 2012, including replies to the points raised in previous comments and information collected by the National Council for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons (NCRDP). The Committee recalls the remarks made by the Pakistan Workers’ Federation (PWF) in 2010 indicating that the vocational education and training facilities provided by the State to the rehabilitation of workers with disabilities are insufficient. The PWF also suggested that the Government should increase the quotas for the employment of persons with disabilities in the public and private sectors so that they can be rehabilitated and obtain gainful employment after receiving vocational education and training. The Government indicates that it is focusing its efforts on education and training of persons with disabilities within its available resources. A 2 per cent quota is fixed for the employment of persons with disabilities in all state-related employment. It further reports that provincial labour departments are responsible to ensure a 2 per cent quota in commercial and industrial establishments. A separate department for special education is working in all the provinces which are responsible for the provision of education to children with disabilities in various educational institutions. Information collected by the NCRDP provides that the number of persons with disabilities employed in relation to the 2 per cent quota in the province of Punjab was 1,507 in 2010 and 1,726 in 2011. The Government indicates that relevant data is also being collected at the federal level and that, once the information is compiled, it will be forwarded to the ILO. The Committee invites the Government to provide in its next report further information on the measures taken in the context of its policy on vocational rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities at the federal and provincial levels (Articles 3 and 7 of the Convention). It also invites the Government to continue to include relevant information supported by statistics, disaggregated by gender, on the implementation of the Convention at the federal and provincial levels (Part V of the report form). Please also supply further information on the activities of the NCRDP.