ALMOST three million children between the ages of five and 14 years are engaged in child labour, according to a recent survey carried out by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP). Majority of these unfortunate souls are hired by brick kilns and carpet-weaving industries. They work alongside their parents for long hours without any break.

The reason in most cases is the family debt towards the contractor. For example, a loan of Rs30,000 taken for some medical emergency decades ago has now multiplied due to inflation and soaring interest rate over time.

Generations have to work to get rid of this hereditary curse because the cruel contractors trick the poor and illiterate labourers into thinking that they have huge sums of money yet to pay. This is an endless cycle of exploitation, helplessness, and poverty. Children are deprived of education and basic necessities of life. The irony is that they can never attend the schools that are built from the bricks they made.

Legally, Pakistan has the laws to fight child labour, but, in reality, nobody ever gets arrested for hiring child labour. The government should set up a task force to implement the laws that are already there. We must end this never-ending cycle through police raids, judicial account-ability and sending children to schools.

Ghulam Ibrahim
Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2026