PIR MEHR ALI SHAH

ARID AGRICULTURE
UNIVERSITY RAWALPINDI
 CONTENTS
 Introduction
 Categories of child labor
 Child labor in Pakistan
 Where does most Child Labor occur
 Basics reasons for child labor(causes)
 Child Labor laws and initiatives
 Consequences of child labor
 Still a big problem
 What we can do
 Conclusion
 INTRODUCTION
Child Labor is work that children should not be doing
because they are to young to work or if they are old
enough to work, it is dangerous or otherwise
unsuitable for them
The practice of having children engage in economic
activity, on part or full-time basis. The practice
deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to
their physical and mental development. Poverty, lack
of goods schools and growth of informal economy are
considered as important as cause of child labor in
Pakistan.
 In other or simple words
Child Labor is work for
children that harms them
or exploits them in some way
e.g.
 Physically

 Mentally

 Morally or blocking

access to education
Child Labor Mostly found In:
1%
7%
7%

Bottles Collections
7%
Shoe Polishing
46% Car Washing
Cleaning
12% Dish Washing
Others
Beggers

20%
 Child labor Characteristics
In 2000,the ILO published a report on economically
active children. The ILO counted cases of child labor
that were:
 Under Minimum age
5-17( violates a nation age law)
 Hazardous to children
Threatened children physical, mental, or emotional well being
 Worst form of child labor
Slavery, debt-bondage, forced labor, illicit activity , prevents
children from going school
 Harvesting Rice
Photo courtesy of International Labor Organization
 Preparing Tobacco Leaves
Photo courtesy of International Labor Organization
 Child Labor in Pakistan
 In Pakistan children aged 5-14 are above 40 million. During
the last year, the Federal Bureau of Statistics released the
results of its survey funded by ILO’s IPEC. The findings
were that
3.8 million children age group of 5-14 years are
working in Pakistan out of total 40 million
children in this age group
 fifty percent of these economically active children are in
age group of 5 to 9 years. Even out of these 3.8 million
economically active children, 2.7 million were claimed to
be working
in the agriculture sector. 73% of them were said
to be boys
 Stitching Soccer Balls
Photo courtesy of the International Labor Organization
Where does most child labor occur?
 CAUSES

 PRIMARY CAUSES
 CULTURAL CAUSES
 MACROECONOMIC CAUSES
 Poverty and Unemployment
 Since 2000, the number of unemployed
worldwide grew by 20 million.
Of an estimated 6 billion people in the world,1.2
billion live in absolute poverty.
“In an apparently increasingly prosperous
world, more and more people are becoming
poorer.”
Limited Educational Opportunities
Throughout the world, 
125 million children do not attend school
Did you know?
Free, quality, basic education
for all children would cost $10
billion per year. . .
the same as 4 days of global military
spending.
CHILD LABOR
LAWS AND
INITIATIVES
ILO(international labour organization) Conventions and Declaration:
 ILO Minimum Age
Convention No. 138,
1973
 → requires a national
policy for the
elimination of child
labour
 → requires a
specification of a
minimum age
 Ratified by: 156 of the
183 ILO member States
 ILO Worst Forms of
Child Labour
Convention No. 182,
1999
 → requires governments
to take immediate and
effective measures to
prohibit and eliminate
the worst forms of child
labour as a priority (art.
1)
 Ratified by: 173 of the
 NGO,S Working On National Or International Level

 The International Programme on the Elimination of

Child Labour (IPEC)
 Launched in 1992
 Main objective: the progressive elimination of child
labour
 To be achieved through strengthening the capacity of
countries to deal with the problem and promoting a
worldwide movement to combat child labour
 IPEC is now working in nearly 90 countries and
benefitting millions of children
 IPEC employs internationally recognized labour
standards and technical cooperation projects towards
achievement of its objective
 In countries all over the world, IPEC inspires, guides
and supports national and regional initiatives to
eliminate child labour
 The basis of its action is the political will and
commitment of individual governments to address the
problem
 IPEC operates a phased and multi-sectoral strategy
which motivates a broad alliance of partners to
acknowledge and act against child labour
 Sustainability is built in from the start through an
emphasis on in-country ownership.
 Packaging Nestlé Products
Photo courtesy of the International Labor Organization
Graph representing child labor between
2000-2008
300

250
Child labor
200 (age group 5-
17)
150
Hazardous
Work
100
GIRLS
50
BOYS
0
2000 2004 2008
Y-axis in million ,
X-axis is years
 184 Employees
  6 men , 58 boys , 120 girls
 Consequences of child labor
The presence of a large number of child laborers is
regarded as a serious issue in term of economic welfare.
Children work fail to get necessary education. They do not
get the opportunity to develop physically, intellectually,
conditionally and psychologically. In the term of physical
condition of the children, children are not ready for long
monstrous work because they become exhausted more
quickly then adults. This reduces their physical condition
and makes the children more vulnerable to diseases.
Children in hazardous working condition are even in
worse condition. children who work instead of going
school will remain illiterate which limits their ability to
contribute to their own well being as well as to community
they live in. child labor has long term adverse effects for
Pakistan.
Bonded Laborer in a Brick Factory
Photo courtesy of International Labor Organization
THIS IS HOW CHILD LABOR EFFECT THE
NATION
Exploitative
child
Family Labour
poverty
Poor wages
and inadequate
education

Low level of
unionization

Deterioratin
g labor
Adult standards
unemploym
ent
 CHILD LABOR: STILL A BIG
CHALLENGE
 Despite a law in force in Pakistan, prohibiting
child labor, million of children to be employed in
homes, at roadside, restaurant and in factories
across the country. These young kids are also
subjected to exploitation in various other ways,
including sexual or mental abuse.
 With June 12 being observed as anti child labor
day, activists alleged that lack of enforcement of
the Child Labor Act and no rehabilitation has
been facing child labor.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE ??
 WE
 GOVERNMENT
OR
 BOTH
AS A STUDENT WHAT CAN WE DO??

The main aim is to create awareness and to ensure people’s

participation as far as possible in campaign against child
labor. This can be done in a variety of methods.
 If you have dedications and empathy
You can join the cause and work against child labor
You can motivate others to join and work
 If you have writing skills
You can write letters to the government
officials editors of news papers and
articles to Publicized the issue
If you are creative:
 You can design posters and hand outs for the cause
 You can form a theatre group and perform relevant plays
 Make painting to bring out the cause
 You can form a band and educate people through songs
If you are good at event management:
 You can organize talks , debates, quizzes and
discussions on the issue and educate people.
 Conclusion
The social evil of child labor can be brought under
control, if each individual takes responsibility of
prevailing child labor. Each and every children
should be aware of their responsibility and should
take corrective measure to stop child labor, so that we
can have a better and developed Pakistan. Child labor
can be controlled if the government functions
effectively with the support of the public.