perpective-child labour

perspective-child domestic labour

Permitted age for employment of children as domestic workers

Do you know what the minimum age is for children in the different provinces of Pakistan to be employed as domestic workers? Child labour is a provincial subject in Pakistan after the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010. The 18th Constitutional Amendment devolved the issue of labour and employment to the provinces and each province is now responsible for enacting and…

Little Ones at Work

It is deeply unfortunate that millions of Pakistani children endure poverty and are forced into labor, a harsh reality that has persisted for years. These children work in factories due to dire economic conditions, often in extreme heat without basic rights like food or education. Imagine a child carrying heavy…

Ghost Schools

KARACHI: Apropos the letter “Ghost Teachers” published on September 19, 2024, the…

A solution for millions of out-of-school children?

According to a UNICEF report, around 22.8 million children between the ages of…

Child Waste-pickers

A SIGNIFICANT number of children in Pakistan participate in waste-picking for economic survival. Our legal framework, unfortunately, is inadequate in this respect and unable to protect and rehabilitate the children. With rapid urbanisation and population growth, waste generation is growing, overwhelming municipal managements. An estimated 49.6 million tonnes of solid…

PUNJAB Notes Of Children

Poets and children have one thing in common; a sense of wonder. Albert Einstein would protest; don’t exclude the scientists. Their intuitive capability is an undying source of wonder that keeps them going in their pursuit of knowing what seems to be unknowable. With age this sense loosens its grip…

Chocolate Costs Child Maid Her Life

RAWALPINDI: A 12-year-old domestic worker, allegedly subjected to severe torture by her employer, succumbed to her injuries in Rawalpindi on February 12. Initial police investigations have revealed that the child suffered a deep head injury, with her skull fractured, which ultimately led to her death. The accused, identified as Rashid…

How Many More Childhoods

Childhood is a time of innocence, joy and learning. To quote Dave Pelzer, “Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.” Sadly, for millions of Pakistani children, these formative years are clouded by the dark realities of child labour. These…

Stolen Childhoods

Acknowledging a problem is the first step toward resolving it, and Sindh’s recognition of the alarming prevalence of child marriages and child labour is a necessary but overdue move. Figures recently revealed in the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department survey are just one of many studies conducted over the…

Child Abuse At Work

Child workers in Pakistan face abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Stricter laws and actions are essential The suffering of child workers, especially in domestic households, is a harsh reminder of society’s failure to protect its most vulnerable members. In Pakistan, many children face severe physical and mental abuse, with their pain…

Protecting Our Children

Violence against children remains a widely prevalent scourge in Pakistan, despite the best efforts of activists and NGOs and several government interventions. While the country has a reasonable legal framework to safeguard children’s rights, local ‘culture’ and ‘traditions’ mean it is not uncommon to see well-kept child workers in the…

Child Beggary

CHILD begging, the ugliest form of child labour, is a curse on society. Ravaged by disease, crime, exploitation and drug abuse, hundreds of poor children populate Karachi’s intersections and street corners. The Sindh Child Protection Authority informed the Sindh Assembly recently that it was, in coordination with the provincial police,…

Upcoming Film Spotlights Plight Of Kids In Brick Kilns

‘Under the Blaze’ presents a compelling tale of a child forced to trade his future for perilous conditions Rawalpindi. A child extends his skinny arms to place a warm, rust-coloured brick in a long line of freshly baked blocks laid out to dry under the blistering sun that glares upon…

Labour Codes For All Working People

THE provinces of Sindh and Punjab have, with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), prepared draft labour codes. These new codes refashion the current fragmented labour laws. The codes are designed to comply with international labour standards by extending protection to all people who work for the first time in Pakistan’s history.…