Domestic Work
Domestic work remains one of the most common forms of child labor, particularly in urban households. These children, mostly girls, perform cleaning, cooking, doing laundry, and even caring for other children. They often work long hours without breaks and have little to no time for themselves. Many live in their employer’s homes, which isolates them from their families and social circles. The nature of this work makes them highly vulnerable to abuse—both physical and emotional. Additionally, their lack of education and social interaction creates a cycle of dependency and limits future opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Agriculture
In rural Pakistan, children often work alongside their families in agricultural fields. They are involved in activities like sowing seeds, harvesting crops, and tending livestock. Crops such as cotton, wheat, sugarcane, and rice demand considerable manual labor, making child workers a common sight. Unlike formal employment, agricultural labor is rarely regulated, and children are exposed to extreme weather, long hours, and dangerous chemicals like pesticides. Their work frequently interrupts their education, as planting and harvesting seasons dictate their schedules. This perpetual engagement in agricultural labor traps them in a cycle of poverty and illiteracy.

Brick Kilns
Brick kilns are synonymous with bonded labor in Pakistan, where entire families, including children, often work to pay off inherited debts. The tasks for children in this sector include mixing clay, molding bricks, and carrying heavy loads to drying areas. The work is labor-intensive and performed in extreme heat. Children working in kilns suffer from respiratory diseases due to constant exposure to dust and smoke. Their growth is often stunted due to poor nutrition, and they rarely attend school. This harsh environment not only affects their physical health but also deprives them of a normal childhood.

Shops and Restaurants
In cities, it is common to see children working in small shops, tea stalls, and restaurants. These children assist with serving customers, cleaning tables, washing dishes, or even cooking food. While these jobs might seem less dangerous than brick kilns or agriculture, they come with their own set of challenges. Children work long hours for little pay and often face verbal or physical abuse from their employers. Also, the unpredictable hours often disrupt their education, leaving them little chance to break free from the cycle of poverty.

Carpet Weaving
Carpet weaving is an industry where dexterity and precision are crucial. These children sit for hours in poorly lit rooms, weaving patterns into carpets. The repetitive nature of this work can lead to muscular disorders and permanent damage to their posture. Wool fibers and chemical dyes used in the industry cause respiratory and skin problems. Most of these children work in small, family-run setups or informal workshops, which means they rarely receive fair wages or access to healthcare. This isolation also limits their interaction with peers and hinders their cognitive development.

Shoe Polishing and Balloon Selling
In urban centers, street-based labor like shoe polishing and balloon selling is a common sight. Children engage in these jobs to support their families, earning money through tips or small sales. While these jobs might appear independent, they are fraught with risks. Street children are exposed to harsh weather, traffic, and the constant threat of exploitation by adults or criminal gangs. The lack of stability and structure in this work means that these children are often forced to fend for themselves, with no access to education or healthcare. This vulnerability leaves them exposed to exploitation and abuse.

Begging
Begging is perhaps one of the most visible forms of child labor in Pakistan, particularly in urban areas. Children are often forced into begging rings operated by criminal networks. These children are trained to invoke sympathy by appearing helpless or injured. Many are deliberately maimed or starved to make them more “effective” beggars. The streets are their workplace, and they are subjected to extreme dangers, including abuse, malnutrition, and disease. These children are entirely deprived of education, and their earnings are typically taken by the operators of begging rings. This form of exploitation strips them of their dignity and any hope for a better future.

Regional Variations
The types of child labor vary significantly from one region to another. In rural areas, agriculture, livestock farming, and brick kilns dominate. These industries are often family-based, where children start working at a very young age. In urban areas, domestic work, street vending, and service jobs in shops or restaurants are more common. Regions with traditional crafts, such as carpet weaving or pottery, also see high involvement of child labor. The economic status and cultural norms of each area play a significant role in determining the prevalence and nature of child labor.

Gender Differences

Globally, involvement in child labor is more common for boys than girls at all age groups. Boys are more prone than girls to work in construction, mining and manufacturing, while girls in child labor tend to be in services, including domestic work.

The kind of work performed by children is divided by their gender. Girls are majorly engaged in domestic work, where they are often overburdened with work that keep them confined to their employer’s home. Boys, on the other hand, are sent out to work in agriculture, brick kilns, or as street vendors. This division begin from societal norms and expectations, where girls are seen as caretakers while boys are viewed as breadwinners.

Girls are more vulnerable to abuse in workplaces and are less likely to attend school, further perpetuating the cycle of inequality.

Laws about Child Labor

The Constitution of Pakistan prohibits any child below the age of 14 years from being engaged in any factory mine or any other hazardous employment. Realizing the crucial role of education in eradicating child labor, Article 25-A was added to the Constitution under the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010 which requires the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to 16 years.

Article 37(e) of the Constitution is a Principle of Policy that requires the State to make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work, ensuring that children and women are not employed in vocations unsuited to their age or sex.

The Employment of Children Act 1991 prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in unsafe environments such as factories, carpet weaving industries, and mines. It currently applies to Islamabad. It has been replaced in the Provinces by the following:

• The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prohibition of Employment of Children Act 2015
• The Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act 2016
• The Punjab Prohibition of Child Labor at Brick Kilns Act 2016
• The Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act 2017
• The Balochistan Employment of Children (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 2021

Gilgit Baltistan has its law relating to this subject:

• The Gilgit Baltistan Prohibition of Employment of Children Act 2019

The Azad Jammu & Kashmir has its own set of laws relating to child labor:

• The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Restriction on Employment of Children Act 2019
• The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prohibition of Child Labor and Regulation of Labor at Brick Kilns Act 2017

The above laws raise the minimum age for hazardous work to 18 years, in accordance with the provisions of the Minimum Age Convention (No 138).

The Punjab Act 2016 and the Sindh Act 2017 also prohibit the worst forms of child labor, as specified under the Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention (No 182).

In addition, the minimum age for admission to work is mentioned in the Mines Act 1923 (15 years), the Factories Act 1934, and the Shops & Establishments Ordinance 1969 (14 years). These laws are federal, but the Provinces have their own set of laws dealing with these subjects; they more or less follow the pattern of the federal laws in this regard.

The Children (Pledging of Labor) Act 1933 is an old and brief law that applies throughout Pakistan and deals with the subject of pledging of child labor.

Penalties

Under the federal Employment of Children Act, employing any child or permitting any child to work in occupations and processes is punishable with imprisonment extending to one year or with fine extending to Rupees 20, 000 or with both. If a person, who was already convicted under the law, commits the same offense, he is punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years. 

Penalties have been made stringent in all the provinces.

[1]For more on the ILO definition, follow the link below

https://www.ilo.org/topics/child-labor/what-child-labor

[2]For more on UNICEF definition, follow the link below.

 https://www.unicef.org/protection/child-labor

 For more on Statics on children’s work and Education

https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ILAB/child_labor_reports).