Islamabad:Pakistan has 8.6 million children in child labour, with over 6.6 million engaged in hazardous labour that threatens their health, safety and future, according to a landmark national report launched by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in collaboration with Unicef here Thursday.
The report “Pakistan: Child Labour Surveys, Evidence for Action” is the first nationally representative child labour dataset in nearly three decades. It provides a comprehensive picture of the scale, distribution, sectors, risks, and drivers of child labour nationwide.
Speaking at the launch, NCHR Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha noted that Pakistan’s last comprehensive child labour survey was conducted in 1996, with policymakers and development partners relying on outdated or fragmented data for over 20 years. She emphasized that while prevalence varies across provinces, hazardous child labour remains a widespread concern affecting children in every region.
The report shows that Punjab bears the largest burden of children in child labour, with 6 million in Punjab, followed by Sindh (1.6 million), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (745,155), Balochistan (201,352) and Islamabad Capital Territory recorded 15,180.
The report identifies poverty as the strongest driver of child labour, with the highest prevalence among the poorest households and families with low parental education. Boys are significantly more likely than girls to be engaged in labour, including hazardous work. It shows that a significant share of child labour takes place within families on family farms, in family workshops, in family homes. This makes it largely invisible to conventional labour inspection.
The findings also highlight the severe impact on children’s wellbeing. Children involved in labour are more likely to be out of school, work longer hours, and suffer injuries, illness, fatigue, and poor mental health. Across provinces, between 32 and 58 percent of working children reported work-related injuries or illness, while up to one-third of older children in labour reported symptoms of depression.
Speaking on this occasion, Federal Minister for Human Rights, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarrar said that the issue of child labour could not be solved by any one ministry or any single intervention. He said that what the evidence increasingly confirms is that child labour in Pakistan is far more widespread than many assume.
Supreme Court Judge Justice Ayesha Malik said that Pakistan has made clear legal commitments with respect to child labour. She mentioned Article 11 of the Constitution that prohibits the employment of children under 14 in hazardous occupations and Article 25A that guarantees free and compulsory education.
In his opening remarks, Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik said that child labour is not inevitable. It is driven by poverty, exclusion, and under-investment. “Every child who stays in school instead of going to work is a measure of our success. That is the standard we should hold ourselves to.”
Child representative Amiraan also shared his journey of transformation after learning how to calculate at a UNICEF-supported Accelerated Learning program. He said that after attending the programme, he was able to set-up his vegetable stall with a fellow student. He now works in the morning and studies in the afternoon.
