Child domestic labour in Pakistan: a narrative review.

This narrative review examines child domestic labour in Pakistan, where children work in households performing chores. Poverty and parental lack of education are major drivers of this practice. Girls are disproportionately affected compared to boys. Child domestic workers experience physical, mental, and sometimes sexual abuse from employers. The review characterizes this work as a form of modern slavery that violates children's rights.

Key points

• In 1996, up to 8.3% of all child labour cases in Pakistan involved domestic chores
• Poverty is identified as one of the most common and significant factors for child domestic labour
• Parental lack of education or failure to value education increases the likelihood of children being involved in domestic labour
• Girls make up a large portion of child domestic workers compared to boys
• Child domestic workers experience physical, mental, and sometimes sexual abuse from employers

Limitations

This is a narrative review that synthesizes existing literature rather than presenting original data. The document does not provide current prevalence estimates, detailed mechanisms of how these factors lead to domestic labour, or evidence on interventions to address this problem.