Peer-reviewed article
Child Labour in Pakistan: The Gap between International Legal Commitments vs Ground Reality
Nadia Zafar, Umar Usman, Muhammad Hannan Ali ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper examines why child labour continues in Pakistan despite the country's legal commitments to international labour standards. The authors compare Pakistan's laws and policies with International Labour Organization conventions and find that while laws exist on paper, they are poorly enforced. The study identifies poverty, limited education access, weak law enforcement, and the informal economy as reasons child labour persists. The paper concludes that Pakistan needs stronger enforcement, better education access, poverty reduction, and social protection to eliminate child labour.
Key points
- Pakistan has formally aligned many laws with ILO obligations but serious implementation gaps remain
- Weak enforcement mechanisms, poverty, and limited access to education are key factors sustaining child labour
- Institutional inefficiency and the dominance of the informal economy continue to enable child labour practices
- International legal frameworks provide normative guidance but lack effective enforcement capacity
- Eliminating child labour requires integrated reforms in law enforcement, education, poverty reduction, and social protection
Limitations
This is a legal and policy analysis rather than an empirical study of child labour outcomes or programme effectiveness, so it cannot quantify the scale of the problem or measure the impact of specific interventions. The paper does not present original data collection or evaluation of particular child labour programmes.
Abstract
This paper examines the gap between legal commitments and practical realities in child labour protection under the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, with special reference to Pakistan. This article critically examines Pakistan's international obligations and domestic legal framework concerning child labour and evaluates the extent to which these commitments are reflected in ground realities. It explores the socio-economic, institutional, and governance factors that contribute to the continued prevalence of child labour, including poverty, lack of educational opportunities, weak law enforcement mechanisms, and inadequate monitoring systems. The article further analyzes relevant judicial decisions, legislative developments, and policy initiatives aimed at combating child labour. Using a qualitative, comparative, and analytical approach that’s evaluates Pakistan’s constitutional provisions, labour laws, and policy measures against international standards. The analysis reveals that although Pakistan has formally aligned many of its laws with ILO obligations, serious implementation gaps remain. Weak enforcement mechanisms, poverty, limited access to education, institutional inefficiency, and the dominance of the informal economy continue to sustain child labour practices. The study further argues that international legal frameworks provide strong normative guidance but lack effective enforcement capacity, making compliance dependent on domestic political commitment and governance structures. It concludes that eliminating child labour in Pakistan requires integrated reforms in law enforcement, education, poverty reduction, and social protection policies.