Peer-reviewed article
Socio-Economic Impact of Bonded Child Labour in Pakistan
Ashfaq U. Rehman, Muhammad Iqbal Shah, Khalid Khan, Ihsan Ullah Khan ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper investigates bonded child labour in brick kiln industries in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, examining how children are exploited through low wages and excessive work hours. The study documents deteriorating socio-economic conditions of poor children and identifies government policy failures in protecting vulnerable populations. The research reveals a gap between government labour policies and the reality of child exploitation on the ground, including the use of advance money and loan burdens to trap families in bonded labour systems.
Key points
- Children in brick kilns are exploited through low wages and increased work hours in violation of human rights
- Socio-economic conditions of poor children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are deteriorating
- Government policies at federal and provincial levels fail to address the needs of underprivileged classes
- A significant gap exists between stated government policies on labour and ground-level realities
- Bonded labour systems use advance money and loan burdens as mechanisms to trap children and families
Limitations
The document is a literature analysis rather than a primary empirical study, so it does not present original research findings with specific quantitative outcomes. It does not clearly specify the sample size, methodology details, or comparative analysis needed to evaluate the true extent of the problem.
Abstract
Abstract Purpose – The purpose of this paper was to investigate the impacts of bonded child labour in the brick kiln industries. It aimed to analyse that how these children are exploited for less wages and increased work hours so that to highlight the complete violation of human rights in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses the literature on the socio-economic conditions of the children particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan and engages its theoretical development. Findings –The paper analyses that the socio-economic conditions of the poor masses especially the children in KP, Pakistan are deteriorating day by day. Moreover, the poor policies of the government both federal and provincial to cater the needs of the underprivileged class are further worsening the situation. Research limitations/implications – The research uses an analytical approach based on some empirical data to probe into the heart of this issue. Originality/value – This paper traces out the policies being formulated by the government of Pakistan from time to time. However, there is a strong dichotomy between what the government is trying to convey and the ground realities in different parts of the country. This paper, therefore, investigates four distinguishing points: social conditions of bonded labour, exploitative strategies used for bonded labour, the extent of bonded child labour, pessimistic effects of hazardous child labour on the personality of the affected children. Paper type – Mixed Method Approach (Quantitative and Quantitative data collection) has been adopted in this Paper. Keywords - Labour Reforms, Bonded Child Labour, Advance Money, Brick Kilns and Loan Burden.