Peer-reviewed article
CHILD LABOUR PATTERNS IN PAKISTAN AND ITS REGIONS/AREAS (2016–2022): EVIDENCE FROM MICS AND CHILD LABOUR SURVEYS
Dr. Syed Ghulam Haider Kazmi, Tayyab Ilyas, Hina Kazmi, Khuram Hussain Shah ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This research maps child labour prevalence across Pakistan's regions between 2016 and 2022 using MICS data and Child Labour Surveys. Child labour affects 8-17% of children aged 5-17 nationally, but varies significantly by province, with Punjab showing the highest rates at 13.4% and KP the lowest at 6.4%. Rural and poorer households carry a disproportionately higher burden. The main sectors employing children are agriculture, brick kilns, hotel work, informal manufacturing, and domestic work.
Key points
- Child labour prevalence in Pakistan ranges from 8-17% and has not meaningfully changed over the last decade
- Significant sub-national disparities exist: Punjab 13.4%, Sindh 10.4%, Baluchistan 9.1%, AJ&K 8.2%, and KP 6.4%
- Rural households and lower socioeconomic groups have higher burden of child labour across all regions
- High-risk sectors include agriculture, hotel work, brick kilns, informal manufacturing, and domestic work
- Policy recommendations include removing education barriers, conditional cash transfers, restricting dangerous industries, and strengthening labour inspection
Limitations
The document notes methodological comparability issues across different surveys and years, with potential underreporting of informal and seasonal labour. The analysis relies on survey data and cannot explain the underlying causes or dynamics of child labour persistence.
Abstract
This research analyses the prevalence of child labour across various regions/areas of Pakistan. Using the internationally accepted MICS indicator PR.3 (children aged 5–17 classified as child labour (CL), this research collation and maps the best available region/province/area estimates, rural and urban, and wealth gradients, along with triangulation of Child Labour Surveys (CLS), as available (Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, KP, AJ&K, and GB. The results demonstrate extensive sub-national heterogeneity and confirm that child labour prevalence has not meaningfully changed over the last decade, with 8-17 per cent range in Pakistan, but significant sub-national disparities. Child labour estimates under respective MICS suggest the highest prevalence in Pakistan (Punjab 13.4, Sindh 10.4, Baluchistan 9.1, AJ&K 8.2 and the lowest in KPK 6.4 against CLS incidence of CL in Punjab and AJ&K 16.9, Gilgit-Baltistan, 13.1 Sindh 10.3, KPK 9.0, and the lowest in Baluchistan 3.7 but these averages mask rural vulnerabilities. All regions/provinces, particularly AJ&K, including lower socioeconomic and rural households, have a higher burden of CL. The principal sectoral areas of high risk are: Agriculture, Hotel Work, Brick Kilns, Informal Manufacturing, and Domestic Work. Awareness of methodological issues emphasises the need for caution in reporting on survey timing, coverage, and informal or seasonal labour underreporting. The aspects discussed in this paper pertain to methodological comparability issues across different MICS and CL surveys and years. The policy recommendations are aimed at the removal of barriers to rural education, provision of conditional cash transfers as a form of payment for schooling, targeted restriction of dangerous industries/industries deemed as unsafe (such as the brick kiln, debt bondage and hotel work, as well as domestic work) and proper and effective labour inspection. The results emphasize the need for evidence-based province-level policies that are geared towards fulfilling box 8.7.1 of the SDG 8.7 goals of Pakistan to eliminate Child Labour.