1.6M Children in Sindh Trapped in Hazardous Labour

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A 2022-2024 survey reveals over 1.6 million children in Sindh, aged 10-17, are engaged in hazardous and exploitative labour, underscoring the need for urgent action.

A recent survey conducted by the Sindh Labour Department, with support from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Bureau of Statistics Sindh, has exposed a troubling reality: over 1.6 million children aged 10 to 17 in Sindh are involved in various forms of child labour, many in dangerous conditions. Released on July 5, 2025, the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2022-2024, the first in 28 years, shows that 50.4% of these children work in hazardous environments, facing long hours, extreme temperatures, and unsafe tools, according to Dawn.

The survey highlights poverty as a key driver, with 33.7% of the poorest households relying on child labour for survival. Qambar Shahdadkot reported the highest rate at 30.8%, followed by Tharparkar at 29%, while Karachi recorded the lowest at 2.38%. Labour Director General Muhammad Ali Shah, the survey’s project director, noted a nearly 50% decline in child labour since 1996, when 20.6% of Sindh’s child population was affected, but stressed that the current figures remain alarming. He told Dawn that the data has been submitted to the provincial government for policy action.

Education access is another critical issue, with only 40.6% of working children attending school compared to 70.5% of non-working peers. Girls aged 14-17 face additional burdens, averaging 13.9 hours of household chores weekly, contributing to higher dropout rates. The survey also found that 20.1% of child labourers reported symptoms of depression, nearly double the rate of non-working children, signaling severe mental health impacts.

Despite legal measures like the Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act of 2017, which bans children under 14 from working, enforcement remains weak.

The survey calls for targeted interventions, including poverty alleviation and stronger enforcement of labour laws, to break the cycle of exploitation and protect Sindh’s vulnerable children.