Policy considerations for ending child labor in Pakistan

By YesPakistan.com Staff Writer

'If people want us to go to school instead of work, they must give us the money to do so and make schools better. Then we would stop stitching. Who wants to injure their fingers?"

-An out-of school working girl in Pakistan

This brief statement summarizes the challenge Pakistan faces in eliminating its problem of child labor. The millions of children who work to support their families in often hazardous conditions and cannot go to school do so for a number of reasons. If Pakistan's leaders and policy makers are serious about developing a strategy that seeks to end child labor, it must take a number of factors into account. There is no one easy solution.

First, they must be aware of the scope of the problem by properly identifying Pakistan's child labor force. Although estimates vary considerably, generally speaking, the number of only male working children in Pakistan is more than 19 million. This is four times Singapore's total population. There are more working children in rural areas, where close to half of the villages' 10- to 14 year-olds work. The age of Pakistan's child laborers entering the work force is also decreasing: the median age is now seven.

Second, leaders and policy-makers must be aware of how prevalent child labor really is and that it is usually not work which is an obstacle to these children going to school. Rather it is poverty. These children's families live in poverty and cannot afford to educate them.

For example, in a survey of Pakistan's sports goods industry, over 72 percent of workers who did not attend school did so because they could not afford school fees.

In contrast, work generally did not prevent child laborers who were better off from studying. Over 20 percent of these child workers attended school.

Since many working children are too poor to afford schooling, any laws that aim to ban child labor must be simultaneously implemented with an anti-poverty plan that eases poor families' burden. For example, working children who attend school must at least be partially compensated for lost income.

One example where such an initiative was attempted was in Bangladesh. The Independent Garment Workers Union there provided children who lost jobs in the apparel industry with free books and hot lunches at school. However, the cost of subsidizing all households for child labor wage losses would probably be very expensive.

A third factor leaders and policy makers must take into consideration is the need to create a proper and effective educational system. This will have a farther reaching impact on the fight against child labor than direct attempts to regulate the labor market.

Child labor often represents parents' carefully thought out rejection of an education system that is usually irrelevant to their child's future.

For example, in the above-mentioned survey in Pakistan, 24 percent of children did not attend school because the low quality of the education offered there did not teach them useful skills they could practically use in the future. Children's enthusiasm for attending school would be greater if classroom teaching was linked with their life experiences as working children. They could be taught what kinds of work are hazardous and advised on how to recognize the tactics of exploitative employers for example.

Finally, policy makers must learn from the experiences of NGOs' and civil society organizations' innovative initiatives in education. Virtually all attempts to bring working children out of their usually dangerous workplaces and into schools have been through non-formal programs. These are independent of the formal education system and are not only cost-effective, thus ensuring a better chance of enrolment of children from poorer families, but also feature life-skills based curriculums that are relevant to students.

Although such programs fill an important gap, they do not absolve the formal education system of providing good and accessible education to all children.

Leaders and policy makers must realize that the education process in Pakistan has fuelled the problem of child labor. The current challenge is to make all schooling cost-effective for the government and more important, poorer families, attractive and relevant to the needs and aspirations of working children and their families. With such a system in place, parents may not only be able to afford schooling for their children, but they will very likely rethink the opportunity cost of sending children to school versus work.

Date/Time Last Modified: 6/18/2002 8:06:23 AM

Readers' Comment

christina: 7/29/2005 7:35:09 PM
this article was terrific in helping me do a report on child labor in pakistan for my high school history class. Thank you. I was wondering what I and/or my classmates could do to help stop child labor? -I know that checking rugmark and nike labels helps and of course i could donate $ but what else? my report is due in a week and i want to include how to help in it. so please respond asap. thank you, Christna

SAHAR ABBAS: 10/23/2005 4:21:44 PM
I found this article very good. It helped me to make my assignment for 'children and social policy'course. I was surprised to know that Paksitan do not have an official children Policy. This is quite sad. I hope I can come back to Pakistan soon. May be I can make a difference! who knows.

Yimmie Yonson: 11/5/2005 11:04:04 AM
this artical helped and i will help you thanks

Bruce Schieck: 9/21/2006 7:35:11 AM
My interest in this article stems from my recent reading of "The Little Hero". Anyone interested in this subject should certainly read this bood. A real eye opener.

Dan: 10/2/2006 1:24:46 PM
Thanx, it helped with my middle school report on child labor. What can we do to help?????

Carolienna: 11/13/2006 1:55:54 PM
i think this article was very well written! it lacked interest though! i was very bored reading this! to keep young audiences occupied! make it more interesting!!!!!

mariam: 12/20/2006 12:53:20 AM
this website was helpfull for i was making my assignment on human rights.there are some points that i want to ponder.first of all the writer has emphasised on "education" alot.ya that is also an important factor.but on the other hand we need to improve living standard of deprived families,so that they may able to afford a child's schooling and may earn their livings effectively.even if a child is educated in pakistan,most of the children don't get equal output to their input.lack of good jobs is one of the major tragidies in Pakistan,that is the root of many problems.

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