According to the National Survey of Child Labour conducted in 1996 by the Federal Bureau of Statistics of the Government of Pakistan (1) in collaboration with the ILO, the total number of children in Pakistan falling in the age groups of 5-14 years was 40 million. Out of this total, 3.3 million (or 8.3%) of all children in the country were economically active. The majority of child workers (73%) were boys, the remaining 27% being girls. More than half of the child workers (58.6% or 1.94 million) were working in Punjab Province, the country's largest province. The distribution of child labour by economic sector is shown below:

            The survey found that children's involvement in work in rural areas is about eight times greater than in urban areas. One-third of working children are literate, boys being more educated than girls and urban children more educated than rural children. On the basis of employment status by broad categories, about 70% of working children were unpaid family helpers. Significant urban-rural differentials were observed in their employment status. In rural areas, three out of four working children were working as unpaid family members, while in urban areas the corresponding proportion was one out of three. About 46% of working children worked more than 35 hours per week and a good proportion worked 56 hours or more. According to most of the parents surveyed, children were working in order to assist in household enterprises.

Worst Forms of Child Labour Data
 

Pakistan has recently passed laws greatly limiting child labor and indentured servitude -- but those laws are universally ignored, and some 11 milion children, aged four to fourteen, keep that country's factories operating, often working in brutal and squalid conditions.
"NO two negotiations for the sale of a child are alike, but all are founded on the pretense that the parties involved have the best interests of the child at heart. On this sweltering morning in the Punjab village of Wasan Pura a carpet master, Sadique, is describing for a thirty-year-old brick worker named Mirza the advantages his son will enjoy as an  apprentice weaver. "I've admired your boy for several months," Sadique says. "Nadeem is bright and ambitious. He will learn far more practical skills in six months at the loom than he would in six years of school. He will be taught by experiencedcraftsmen, and his pay will rise as his skills improve. Have no doubt, your son will be thankful for the opportunity you have given him, and the Lord will bless you for looking so well after your own..."
 

ASIAN ECONOMIC CRISIS AND ITS SOCIAL IMPACT ON CHILD LABOUR: ROLES AND RESPONSES – THE CASE OF PAKISTAN

"Economic conditions of a country are the driving force, which pushes large numbers of women and children into the vulnerable sectors of the labour force. It was the economic crisis of the 1980s and the 1990s, which further increased the vulnerability of the children and women in developing countries like Pakistan.
At the time of its independence in 1947, Pakistan’s inherited industrial base was almost none-existent. The inherited industrial units numbered in all fourteen. Along with a minuscule number of public sector enterprises: Railway workshops were prominent among them. The industries were mostly agro-based and the large-scale manufacturing sector’s contribution to the GDP was nearly 2 percent. To achieve the economic growth and public welfare, the government adopted the preliminary economic philosophy to encourage private initiatives as a key factor in economic development and participate in different critical sectors to develop infrastructure for the assistance of private investors and public welfare activities. Thus the preliminary economic philosophy encouraged private initiatives and the public sector as the engine of economic growth. This was clearly reflected in the economic development policies of the country of the earlier period."
 

Actions taken to eliminate Child Labour:

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's message to the International Conference on Child Labour, Oslo, 27-30 October 1997
"My Government is determined to eliminate child labour from the country. Our commitment to this cause is manifest in numerous initiatives taken by the Government such as awareness raising programmes, progressive legislation about child labour and the proactive policy of mainstreaming the youth in the learning process and educational activities. The problem of child labour is deeply rooted in the society for reasons of acute poverty, socio-economic compulsions, population growth, unemployment and centuries old employer-employee relationship of traditional nature. Our efforts to overcome the problem will, therefore, bear fruit only through constant struggle and multidimensional socio-economic programmes focusing particularly on the welfare of poor families and expansion of educational facilities. Inshallah, we shall succeed in our endeavor through determination and strong will for the betterment of our younger generation. I am sanguinely hopeful that the future will bring happiness and prosperity to the younger generation. We have started the struggle for the eradication of child labour through a phased programme. The international community has endorsed our policies and programmes. They are supporting us through sustainable and pragmatic programming."
 

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