Growing child labour

Poverty, poor social security, high illiteracy, unemployment and surging inflation have amplified child labour

Time and again, International Labour Organisation (ILO) officials have urged Pakistani authorities to ensure compliance with the international conventions on child and forced labour. In the past, Pakistan has ratified several core conventions related to child labour. Yet the issue is plaguing our society and threatens the future of millions of children. More than 3.3 million Pakistani children are engaged in child labour. The actual number can be much higher as the pandemic further raised the number of children in child labour.

Abject poverty, poor social security, high illiteracy, unemployment and surging inflation are some of the reasons that have amplified child labour across the country. A large proportion of the children can be found working in agriculture while many others move to urban areas to work in industries or as domestic servants, etc. Government inaction and failure to implement laws have allowed employers to continue hiring children without facing any consequences. Most children are faced with serious physical and psychological risks as they work in unsafe, hazardous and mentally taxing conditions. These children remain trapped in their menial jobs well into their adulthood, which prevents them from acquiring any education and improving their prospects.

The World Trade Organisation imposed sanctions and trade barriers on countries using child labour. Under these regulations, different countries imposed trade sanctions on Pakistan due to the country’s failure to end child labour. This has harmed Pakistani manufacturers, their employees and the country’s economy. Child labour also impedes the country’s overall ability to improve literacy rate and development prospects. Therefore, the government should act on ILO’s suggestions and work with the organisation to tackle the issue. Besides improving access to education, rigorous implementation of laws barring child labour coupled with social protection for the poor is crucial to achieving progress.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2022.

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