Pakistan has enacted laws against child labour, yet enforcement remains weak and inconsistent. As a result, millions of children continue to work in hazardous conditions, often enduring physical abuse, emotional trauma, exploitation, and long working hours. These experiences rob them not only of education but also of confidence, emotional well-being, and the opportunity to develop into healthy, productive adults.
According to official estimates, around 8.6 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour, with more than 6.6 million involved in various forms of informal and hazardous work. Behind these statistics are real children with dreams, talents, and aspirations that are slowly disappearing under the weight of poverty, neglect, and exploitation.
Eliminating child labour requires far more than occasional acts of charity. It demands determined action by the state to enforce child protection laws without exception, expand access to quality education, strengthen social welfare programmes for vulnerable families, and provide rehabilitation for parents struggling with addiction. Equally important, society must stop treating child labour as an unfortunate but acceptable part of daily life.
Every child deserves a safe home, a quality education, proper healthcare, protection from abuse, and the freedom to dream about the future. These are not privileges—they are fundamental rights.
The little girl I met that night was selling papadom to survive. But what she truly needed was something no customer could buy: protection from abuse, access to education, and hope for a better future.
Until every child in Pakistan is able to enjoy these basic rights, our claims of progress, development, and social justice will remain incomplete. A nation cannot truly move forward while millions of its children are forced to sacrifice their childhood simply to survive.
Shafaqna Pakistan
pakistan.shafaqna.com
Note: Shafaqna do not endorse the views expressed in the article
