NATURE:
A “Not-for-Profit Organization” registered
under section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984;
Birth date:
14 May 2002
Operational Date:
1 March 2003
Purpose:
To undertake activities to
eliminate child labour in Soccer Ball Industry in particular, and whole of
industry, in general, while being in the context and spirit of Atlanta
Agreement.
MISSION STATEMENT
To become an apex body on work place
monitoring for child labour as well as social/ working conditions.
IMAC STRUCTURE
Governed by a setup created under the
Memorandum and Articles of Association of IMAC such as :
-
Board of Governors (Comprises 14 members representing SCCI, Trade Unions, Provisional & Federal Governments, NGOs, Academic Institution, and a soccer ball manufacturer in individual
capacity); ILO & UNICEF are associated in technical advisory capacity
-
Management Committee
-
General Body
MONITORING SET UP
-
Manufacturers/ subscribers
wishing to get their production/ work places monitored join the monitoring
programme voluntarily, and reveal their production for monitoring;
-
Work place monitoring is
undertaken by a team of experienced monitors, supervised and managed by a
Chief Executive;
-
Work places to be monitored are
selected on random basis through a computer programme. As such each
monitoring visit is completely a surprise visit;
ROOTS OF IMAC
-
IMAC is the culmination of the
efforts of Atlanta Partners to sustain the work place monitoring system setup by ILO-IPEC;
-
It inherited from ILO-IPEC a
monitoring system (softwares+hardwares), trained monitoring professionals, logistics such as vehicles &
office equipments;
-
It provides continuity to the
pace & face of the credible work place monitoring system of ILO-IPEC;
-
ILO-IPEC’s Technical & Financial
assistance shall ensure the credibility and transparency of the monitoring;
Vocational &
Technical Training by Sudhaar:
From 01 February 2003,
Sudhaar, as an implementing agency of ILO-IPEC, has started a programme of
providing Vocational & Technical Training to the children of the NFEs and
Youth, desiring to acquire technical skills in the marketable trades. Under
this programme, Sudhaar has linked 25 children with Apprenticeship Training
Centre and Vocational Training Institute. In addition 14 NFE teachers have
been provided with training on “Fabric Painting.”
Health Care
Programme by Baidarie:
Baidarie has launched the
health care programme w.e.f April 2003. So far they have conducted 4
first-aid training of 99 NFE teachers. 12 doctors (health service providers)
have been engaged in 10 areas/villages to
medically
examine the
NFE children & provide health care facilities. These doctors have, so far,
examined 1603 children of 93 NFEs. On the advise of the doctors 5 children
have been operated upon for different diseases.
FUTURE OF IMAC
Quality &
Credibility of IMAC :
-
A reliable
monitoring system that ensures transparency;
-
Professionally
trained & experienced monitoring team;
-
The Monitoring
Team works without any fear of external pressures;
-
Strict code of
professional ethics are followed religiously;
-
Subscribers/
participating manufacturers pose confidence in IMAC and promptly provide
information about their production activities to the IMAC;
-
Subscribers/
participating manufacturers and their contractors/ sub-contractors
cooperate fully with the IMAC monitors;
-
Patronization of IMAC by the Stake Holders
such as WFSGI, FIFA, Major Brands, ILO, SCCI:
-
In order to make
the experiment of IMAC a good success, WFSGI and FIFA should
patronize the IMAC. This could be done in the following ways:
-
Emphasize their
members in Pakistan to get their work places monitored by IMAC;
-
Emphasize the
sports federations around the world to source the sports material in
Pakistan from those suppliers who get their production monitored by IMAC;
-
Provide moral
support to IMAC in the events of uncalled for negative criticism on IMAC
monitoring, as has been the case in the past;
-
Provide
financial and technical support to IMAC for further developing and
enhancing its technical and managerial capacities;
-
A key element
for the future of IMAC is its financial independence. Since it is a
non-profit organization, therefore, it would need an endowment fund to
sustain. FIFA and WFSGI may play their role in this regard.
-
Big brands
should also play their due role in patronizing the IMAC, in terms of
emphasizing their suppliers to continue working with IMAC, and cooperate
as usual;
-
IMAC has the
potential and capacities to meet the specific needs and requirements of
big brands for monitoring the working conditions, in addition to child
labour, at work places of their suppliers. They can patronize the IMAC by
acquiring its services;
ILO-IPEC can patronize the IMAC by acquiring its
professional and technical services in their endeavours of child labour
elimination using work place monitoring as a tool. In this regard IMAC can
have a portfolio of services including development of tailor made monitoring
programmes, providing consultancy services, training of staff in work place
monitoring techniques etc.
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