Visible Invisible Realities
The statistics concerning child domestic labour are not available, partly due to its hidden nature of work. Despite being visible in everyday life, these children often remain invisible in official statistics, rendering their plight overlooked and under-addressed.
Cultural acceptance and Normalization of Child Domestic Labor
Cases of child domestic labor often garner attention when extreme cruelty, abuse, or even murder occurs, making headlines in the media. However, beyond these sensationalized incidents, the employment of children in households is often normalized and accepted as a societal norm. This normalization stems from a societal emphasis on children contributing to household income, a burden frequently facilitated by parents or guardians. Tragically, this practice not only exposes children to heightened risks of exploitation and abuse but also fosters a sense of dependency on their employers. Adding to these challenges, the income earned by these children is typically controlled by their parents or guardians, effectively keeping them in a state of bondage. Consequently, breaking free from the confines of their employment becomes a daunting prospect for these children, especially when faced with familial pressures to continue supporting their families. This dynamic perpetuates a distressing cycle of exploitation and vulnerability, with parents often unwittingly contributing to their children’s precarious situations.
Limited Data and Research on Child Domestic Labor
Limited data and research on the prevalence and impact of child domestic labor pose significant challenges to addressing this issue effectively. Household child labor surveys conducted by provincial governments (GB, Punjab and KP) reveal that documenting and recording cases of child domestic laborers are marked with challenges. Many employers and parents do not report instances of child domestic labor, contributing to underreporting and hindering efforts to identify and assist vulnerable children. This lack of comprehensive data hampers policymakers’ ability to develop targeted interventions and without a clear understanding of the scope and magnitude of the problem, it is challenging to implement evidence-based strategies to eliminate child domestic labor.
Categories of Child Domestic Labour and Associated Risks
Child domestic labor typically falls into different categories, each presenting its own set of risks and challenges. Part-time child domestic labor involves children being employed for specific tasks or duties for a limited duration, typically 2-3 hours per day, after which they return to their own homes or move on to other households for similar work. So in one day, a child is dealing with number and different types of employers. Full-day child domestic labor entails children working for the entirety of the day but returning to their homes in the evening. However, the most vulnerable and at-risk group is live-in child domestic laborers, who reside with their employer’s family and are often on call 24 hours a day. They are expected to fulfill all tasks assigned by their employer, often with no fixed working hours, leaving them susceptible to exploitation and abuse. The impact of live-in domestic labor on children can be profound, affecting their physical and mental well-being, education, and overall development.
Gender Disparity and Poverty Trap
According to the ILO, girls predominantly make up the population of child domestic workers, while boys are frequently found working in various other industries. While poverty plays a central role, driving families to resort to child domestic labor to make ends meet, several other factors contribute to this phenomenon. The large size of families can exacerbate economic strain, making it more difficult for parents to support their children without resorting to child labor. Additionally, unforeseen circumstances such as illness or the absence of primary breadwinners can further heighten economic pressure, pushing parents to push their children into domestic labor. Moreover, social norms and acceptance of child labor in certain communities play a significant role in perpetuating this cycle. Many parents prioritize immediate financial needs over their children’s education due to a lack of awareness about the long-term consequences, further entrenching families in the cycle of poverty and dependency.
Working Environment, Accessibility and Seeking Justice
The working environment for child domestic labor varies from comfortable to oppressive, with long hours and multiple chores. Employers prefer child labor due to perceived obedience, raising concerns about training and treatment standards. One of the significant challenges in addressing child domestic labor stems from the informal nature of the work, which complicates efforts to identify and reach affected children. Unlike formal employment sectors where workers are registered and regulated, child domestic labor occurs in informal arrangements, making it difficult to track and monitor. Similarly, child domestic workers also face numerous challenges in seeking justice for instances of exploitation, abuse, or rights violations. These barriers include limited awareness of their legal rights, fear of retaliation from employers or guardians, and societal stigma associated with reporting such cases.
Legislative Gaps and Enforcement Challenges
Pakistan faces policy gaps and fragmentation in addressing child labour, with varying provincial approaches. Despite legislative efforts, including the introduction of the Punjab Domestic Workers Act 2019 and the Islamabad Capital Territory Domestic Workers Act 2022, significant gaps remain in ensuring the effective protection of domestic workers, particularly children. Additionally, there are discrepancies between provincial laws, such as variations in age limits for child domestic workers and differing working hour regulations, highlight the need for cohesive and comprehensive legislation.
Section 25 of the Punjab Domestic Workers Act, 2019 outlines the establishment of a Dispute Resolution Committee to address disputes or complaints related to the enforcement of the Act. However, despite this provision, the government has not appointed or notifyied either the committee or labor inspectors under the Act. Even if these bodies were established, the process for domestic workers to raise grievances would be cumbersome and challenging to navigate. This presents a significant barrier to children seeking justice under the Act. Furthermore, the Act lacks provisions for adequate inspections by labor inspectors and does not offer a direct grievance mechanism for affected individuals to report violations. As a result, the rights of child domestic workers remain largely unprotected, with little recourse for those subjected to exploitation. Moreover in cases where children are recovered and rescued, there are no provisions for their rehabilitation, further highlighting the shortcomings of the current legal framework in addressing the plight of child domestic workers.
The provinces of Balochistan, Khyber Paktunkhwa and Sindh have enacted laws regulating home-based work to ensure the protection of domestic workers but the focus is more on adult workers. Alignment between child labor and compulsory education policies is also lacking, with insufficient monitoring and enforcement mechanisms. Weak enforcement, limited accountability, and lack of multi-sectoral collaboration hinder effective interventions, necessitating a holistic, community-engaged approach to tackle the complex issue of child domestic labour. Moreover, there are legitimate concerns about the applicability of labor inspection standards to domestic settings. The absence of institutional arrangements and monitoring mechanisms of working conditions, wage rates, diminished role of the labour or trade union towards domestic labourers and non-existence of social security increases the vulnerability of the domestic workers in general, particularly for child labourers.
Lack of Awareness about the Rights and Protections
Lack of awareness about the rights and protections afforded to child domestic workers is a critical issue in Pakistan, as highlighted by the Study on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices related to Child Labour conducted by UNICEF in 2022. This study, which collected insights from both adults and children aged 14-17 years, aimed to establish a baseline understanding of child protection in Pakistan and measure attitudes and practices related to child labor.
The key findings from the study reveal alarming trends regarding awareness and attitudes towards child labor among both adults and children. Among adult respondents, the study found that most individuals have limited knowledge about the harmful consequences of child labor and are uncertain about the legality of children working. Additionally, there is a prevalent belief among adults that child labor is acceptable under certain circumstances, such as if the child has not completed a certain level of education or if it is deemed necessary for the survival of the family. Furthermore, there is a reluctance among adults to report instances of child labor, viewing it as a private matter within families. Interestingly, the study also highlights gender disparities in decision-making regarding child labor, with fathers often being the main decision-makers within families. Similarly, children’s responses in the study underscore a lack of awareness about the legality of child labor and its negative impact on education. Many children also justify child labor as a means to support their families financially and do not believe it should be reported due to its perceived status as a private matter. The findings of the UNICEF study emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive awareness-raising campaigns and education initiatives to inform both adults and children about the rights and protections afforded to child domestic workers.