ISLAMABAD:
More than 8.6 million children in Pakistan are involved in child labor, including more than 6.6 million involved in hazardous work that threatens their health, safety and development, according to a national report released on Thursday by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in collaboration with UNICEF.
Titled ‘Pakistan: Child Labor Surveys, Evidence for Action’, the report provides the first nationally representative data set on child labor in almost three decades, and offers a comprehensive assessment of the scale, distribution, sectors and drivers of child labor across the country.
Presenting the report, NHRC Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha said the last comprehensive survey on child labor in Pakistan was carried out in 1996, forcing policymakers and development partners to rely on outdated and fragmented data for more than 20 years. It noted that while the prevalence of child labor varies between provinces, hazardous child labor remains a widespread problem affecting children across the country.
According to the results, Punjab bears the biggest burden, with around 6 million children working. Sindh is next with 1.6 million child workers, while Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has 745,155, Balochistan 201,352 and Islamabad Capital Territory 15,180.
The report identifies poverty as the most important driver of child labour, with children from the poorest households and families with low parental education levels most likely to be affected. Boys are much more likely than girls to be involved in work, including hazardous occupations.
A substantial proportion of child labor takes place in family settings, including farms, workshops and homes, making it largely invisible to conventional labor inspection mechanisms, the report notes. It also highlights the serious impact on children’s well-being.
Working children are more likely to miss school, work long hours and suffer from injuries, illnesses, fatigue and poor mental health, it says. Across provinces, between 32% and 58% of child workers reported work-related injuries or illnesses, while up to a third of older child workers reported symptoms of depression.
Federal Human Rights Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the challenge cannot be addressed by a single ministry or intervention. He said evidence showed that child labor was much more widespread than commonly assumed and called for a reassessment of national priorities.
