As per a national report by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) and UNICEF, over 8.6 million children in Pakistan are involved in child labour, with more than 6.6 million engaged in hazardous work endangering their health and future. The report, titled “Pakistan: Child Labour Surveys, Evidence for Action,” is the first comprehensive child labour dataset in nearly three decades, shedding light on the distribution, sectors, risks, and drivers of child labour in the country.
During the report’s launch, NCHR Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha highlighted that hazardous child labour affects children across all regions of Pakistan. Punjab has the highest number of child labourers, with over six million children, followed by 1.6 million in Sindh, 745,155 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 201,352 in Balochistan, and 15,180 in Islamabad Capital Territory. Poverty emerged as the primary cause of child labour, with the poorest households and less educated parents being most affected.
The report underscored the detrimental impact of child labour on children’s well-being, revealing that working children are more likely to miss out on education, work longer hours, and suffer from injuries, illnesses, and mental health issues. Across Pakistan, 32%-58% of working children reported work-related injuries or illnesses, while up to one third of older child labourers exhibited symptoms of depression. Additionally, it was noted that a significant number of households in Islamabad employ children as domestic workers, despite inadequate enforcement of legislation against child domestic labour.
Executive Director of the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc), Asiya Arif, emphasized the urgent need for collective action against child labour across various sectors such as supply chains, hotels, automobile workshops, and the brick kiln industry. She called for robust implementation mechanisms, enhanced social protection, and improved access to quality education in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Article 16 of the Constitution. Recent data from Pakistan’s Education Ministry revealed that 26.2 million children are currently out of school.
