• 65pc forced to work in agri sector, 12.4pc in manufacturing and 10.8pc in wholesale/retail trade
• Sindh Child Labour Survey 2023-24 launched
KARACHI: As many as 1.3 million children aged between five and 17 are trapped in child labour in Sindh, with 65 percent of them forced to work in the agriculture sector, said the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2023-24.
The survey was officially launched on October 24 by the Labor Department in collaboration with UNICEF.
It said roughly two-thirds of 1.3m children have been found to be caught in child labour in the agriculture sector across the province, followed distantly by manufacturing at 12.4 per cent and wholesale/retail trade at 10.8pc.
Labour Secretary Asadullah Abro and Unicef Representative Prem Bahadur Chand were the chief guests at the launch ceremony.
The survey, the first in nearly three decades, provided vital evidence to guide stronger policies and interventions for eliminating child labour, highlighting the living conditions, educational status, and work responsibilities of children across all 29 districts of Sindh.
The survey revealed that the prevalence of child labour in the province had declined by nearly 50pc since the last survey in 1996, when it was 20.6pc.
The survey revealed that the 10.3pc of children aged 5-17 years were engaged in child labour, with a marked gender gap — 13.7pc of boys and 6.6pc of girls.
It was also found that 44.3pc of parents allow children to work to supplement family income, while 43.5pc of working children reported fatigue or injury from work-related tasks.
Giving the regional details, the survey said that the highest rates were in Sujawal (35.1pc) and Tharparkar (25.6pc), while Malir (2.7pc) and Karachi South (3pc) report the lowest.
According to the survey, 50.4 per cent of working children aged 10-17 are exposed to hazardous conditions, including carrying heavy loads (29.8pc), exposure to extreme temperatures (28.1pc), and workplace abuse (17.5pc).
As per the survey, only 41.2pc of children in labour attend school, compared to 69.9pc of non-working children. Attendance drops further with age — just 29.1pc of working adolescents aged 14-17 remain in school.
According to the survey, 33.7pc of the poorest households have a child in labour, compared to 3.8pc among the wealthiest. Households receiving BISP support or facing economic shocks show higher child labour rates.
A stark reminder
Speaking at the launch, the labour secretary said the findings of the survey were a stark reminder of the work that laid ahead of us. “We cannot accept a future where our children are deprived of education and childhood,” he said. The labour secretary said that the provincial government was committed to using this evidence to strengthen the enforcement of the Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act, 2017, and to design targeted interventions that address the root causes of this issue, particularly in high-burden districts.
Speaking on the occasion, Unicef Chief of Child Protection Jennifer Melton emphasised the significance of the survey in shaping child protection policy and inter-sectoral collaboration across Sindh.
“Every child deserves a childhood filled with learning, play, and opportunity-not labour,” she added.
Ms Melton said: “This survey gives us the data and insight needed to act decisively. Unicef remains committed to supporting the Government of Sindh to turn this evidence into stronger systems, better services, and brighter futures for all children.”
Director General-Labour Zulfikar Ali Nizamani welcomed the government-Unicef partnership and reaffirmed the department’s commitment to ending child labour through enforcement and awareness initiatives.
Project Coordinator Reejhu Mal S. Sajnani and Survey Coordinator Izat Chachar presented the key findings, emphasising the importance of government, development partners, and communities working together to eradicate child labour.
Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2025.
