Peer-reviewed article
Prevalence and Correlates of Child Labour in Tribal District, Mohmand, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Rahat Sher Khan, Sajjad Ahmad Jan, Ansa Javed Khan, Jawad Rahim Afridi ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined child labour patterns in Mohmand, a tribal district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, surveying 427 children. Most children combined schooling with work, while some engaged in full-time labour or remained idle. The study found that older children were more likely to work, and that household preferences for work differed by gender, with boys more often combining school and work while girls were more likely to be idle. The researchers suggest that government programmes like cash transfers and job creation could help reduce child labour.
Key points
- Combining school with work was the most common activity for children in the study area
- Child schooling was the second-most preferred activity, followed by full-time child labour
- Increasing child age was associated with higher engagement in labour activities
- Gender significantly determined labour status: households preferred schooling with work for boys but idle status for girls
- Suggested policy interventions include cash transfer schemes, job opportunities, and business financing programmes
Limitations
This is a cross-sectional descriptive study with no comparison group or causal analysis, so it cannot establish why these patterns exist or evaluate the effectiveness of proposed interventions. The study's generalisability beyond the surveyed district is also uncertain given the specific conflict-affected context.
Abstract
This study investigates the prevalence and correlates of child labour in the tribal districts.The tribal districts that now encompass the FATA region share many socioeconomic characteristics. Moreover, the FATA region was recently affected by a large scale conflict that resulted in large numbers of its inhabitants getting killed, as well as destruction of public and private infrastructure and loss of livelihoods. This also resulted in limiting access to the region. Keeping this in consideration a sample size of 427 children was selected in tribal district Mohmand, which was generalized for the whole of FATA region.Results showed that combining school with work is the most preferred activity for children. Similarly, Child schooling was second-most and full-time child labour was the third-most preferred activity for children in the study area. It was found that an increase in child age increases the child's chances of getting engaged in labour activities. Gender of children also determines their labor status.Results indicate that households prefer schooling alongside child labour for their male children and idle status for their female children. The government can address issue of child labour through transfer payment schemes, providing job opportunities and financing business programs.