IT is nothing short of modern-day slavery. A study by the National Commission for Human Rights offers a glimpse into how little has changed for Pakistan’s brick kiln workers who continually undergo exploitation, debt bondage and gender-based violence. Conducted in Faisalabad and Kasur, the investigation exposes some chilling facts. Ninety-seven per cent of workers had entered kilns because of urgent loans, while 90pc had no written contracts, making them invisible to labour protections. Children, too, are forced into gruelling work, deprived of education and condemned to repeat the same cycle of poverty, their futures foreclosed before they even begin. Families toil in suffocating conditions, often for wages far below the legal minimum. More than 70pc of households survive in cramped single rooms. Nearly every worker surveyed reported verbal abuse; many described beatings, torture, abductions and even murder. Women were found to be especially vulnerable, facing rampant sexual harassment and forced marriages.

It is clear there is a system in place to perpetuate dependence. Kiln owners continue to inflate debts, while weak inspections allow violations to persist unchecked. The very institutions meant to protect workers — local administration, law enforcement and political networks — shield exploiters instead of enforcing the law. That over 2,300 families have been rescued so far is commendable, but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of abuse. Ending bonded labour is not charity, as the NCHR chairperson rightly stressed — it is justice, dignity and the fulfilment of the Constitution’s promise. The government must, therefore, move beyond token projects and piecemeal reforms. Stronger enforcement of the Bonded Labour Abolition Act, rehabilitation schemes for freed families, microcredit programmes to end dependence on exploitative loans and protection for women and minors are urgently required. Pakistan cannot claim progress on human rights while tens of thousands remain enslaved in its kilns.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2025