† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

Children at Higher Risk

Some children from Pakistan are kidnapped or sold into organized begging rings, domestic servitude, gangs, and sex trafficking in Iran. Traffickers also force Afghan, Iranian, and Pakistani children into drug trafficking, drug and contraband production, and smuggling of goods in the border areas. Climate-related disasters have increased Pakistani children's vulnerability to child labor. In the aftermath of the nationwide flooding that occurred in July 2022, more children entered domestic work to pay for food and to service family loans. Stateless children, many of whom are ethnic Bengali born in Pakistan, as well as Afghan and Rohingya refugee children, are vulnerable to child labor in the fishing industry near coastal areas due to a lack of identity documents that limits their access to government services. Afghan refugee children engage in scavenging, whereas Pakistani children with disabilities are used for begging, exposing them to criminal organizations. Moreover, non-state armed groups reportedly kidnap children as young as age 12, coerce parents with threats, and recruit children forcibly from madrassas—Islamic religious schools that provide free education and meals to Pakistan's poorest children—to spy, fight, and carry out suicide attacks.

Barriers to Education Access

In 2022, an estimated 22.8 million children in Pakistan were out of school. Insufficient internet coverage in rural areas, especially in the newly merged tribal districts of the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas, hampers children's access to learning. Many other children face barriers to education, including teacher absenteeism, inadequate facilities, lack of transportation, school fees, corporal punishment, and sexual abuse, all of which may deter them from attending school. Children from minority ethnic groups, including native speakers of Sindhi, Pashtun, Saraiki, Baloch, and others, have difficulty accessing education, which is offered in Urdu and English. Non-Muslim and Ahmadi Muslims are sometimes denied enrollment in schools because of their religious identity. For cultural and religious reasons, some parents do not send girls or transgender children to school, and some schools may deny them enrollment. Most schools in Pakistan are not accessible to children with disabilities. Stateless children, including ethnic Bengali children born in Pakistan and Afghan and Rohingya refugee children, cannot access school due to lack of identity documents. Sexual abuse of children in madrassas is also of significant concern. The 2022 floods further affected children's access to schools, particularly in rural areas, where 27,000 schools were severely damaged. Schools in Pakistan are also vulnerable to attacks by armed groups, disrupting children's learning.

* Country has no conscription

In January 2023, Punjab Province enacted the Punjab Home-Based Workers Act of 2023 that, among other things, prohibits the employment of children under 15 years in home-based work. However, the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provincial minimum age for work laws do not extend to informal employment, such as domestic work. In addition, the minimum age for hazardous work at the federal level and in Balochistan Province is less than age 18, which does not meet international standards. While the federal government and the four provinces have identified hazardous occupations and activities for children, hazardous work prohibitions do not cover brickmaking, for which there is evidence that children are exposed to environmental health hazards, or child domestic work, for which there is evidence that children are exposed to physical abuse. Punjab limits domestic work for children ages 15 to 18 to part-time work that is not likely to harm their health, safety, and education, but does not prevent children under age 18 from engaging in this work. Although laws in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh Provinces prohibit children under age 18 from working in underground mines or above-ground quarries, federal law—which also applies in Balochistan—does not prohibit children ages 15 to 18 from working in mines, and there is evidence that children in Balochistan are engaged in coal mining, where they are exposed to hazardous substances, underground work, and lethal accidents.

Research was unable to locate laws explicitly establishing a minimum age for voluntary state military recruitment or prohibiting the compulsory recruitment of children by the state military. The federal and provincial governments in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have not enacted laws that prohibit the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict by non-state groups. In addition, federal and provincial laws in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provinces do not prohibit the use of children in drug production and drug trafficking. Moreover, as the minimum age for work is lower than the compulsory education age, children may be encouraged to leave school before the completion of compulsory education.

In 2023, it is unknown how many labor inspectors conducted worksite inspections or whether child labor violations were found at the federal level or in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, or Sindh Provinces. It is also unknown how many investigations into suspected child labor crimes were conducted, prosecutions were initiated, or perpetrators were convicted either at the national or provincial levels. However, Punjab inspectors conducted 85,188 child labor inspections under the Punjab Restriction on Employment of Children Act and 8,580 inspections under the Punjab Prohibition of Child Labor at Brick Kiln Act 2016, finding 1,585 violations, filing 1,562 First Investigation Reports, making 121 arrests, and initiating 47 prosecutions.

For information about USDOL’s projects to address child labor around the world, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/ilab-project-page-search
† Program is funded by the Government of Pakistan.

Pakistan imposes restrictions on unions, authorities often fail to register unions within the legally required timeframe, and the government has failed to investigate and prosecute cases of anti-union discrimination. This can create a climate of fear that hinders workers' ability to organize, advocate for their rights, and report labor abuses, including child labor.

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