Rashida Qureshi
Every year on 12 June, the world observes World Day Against Child Labour to draw attention to the millions of children whose childhoods are shaped not by learning, play, and development, but by work. Behind every statistic is a child whose education has been interrupted, whose wellbeing has been compromised, and whose opportunities for the future have been diminished.
In Pakistan, child labour remains one of the most significant barriers to children’s rights and development. According to the State of Children in Pakistan Report 2025 published by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child, an estimated 8.61 million children aged 5 to 17 years are engaged in child labour. These children work in agriculture, brick kilns, workshops, child domestic labour, waste picking, street vending, mining, and numerous other sectors across the country. While the scale of the problem is alarming, the true cost of child labour extends far beyond the numbers.
Public discussions on child labour often focus on how many children are working and where they are employed. These are important questions, but they tell only part of the story. Child labour is not simply a labour market issue. It is a child rights, education, health, and development challenge that affects not only individual children but also families, communities, and the country’s future.
Childhood is a critical period of physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development. When children spend long hours working, they lose opportunities to learn, build relationships, develop confidence, and acquire skills that help them thrive later in life. Many are exposed to hazardous environments that threaten their health and safety. Others face exploitation, abuse, neglect, and working conditions that can leave lasting physical and psychological consequences. The risks can be particularly severe in hidden forms of child labour such as domestic work, where children often remain beyond public scrutiny and access to protection mechanisms. Pakistan has witnessed several tragic cases in which child domestic workers have suffered extreme abuse and, in some instances, lost their lives as a result of violence inflicted by employers.
The impact on education is particularly concerning. Education remains one of the most effective pathways out of poverty, yet child labour and educational exclusion continue to reinforce one another. Children who are out of school are more likely to enter the workforce, while those already engaged in labour often struggle to attend school regularly or complete their education. For many children, work begins as a temporary response to household hardship but gradually becomes a permanent barrier to learning. As months turn into years, opportunities to return to school diminish, reducing future employment prospects and increasing the likelihood that poverty will persist across generations.
At the same time, it is important to recognize that most families do not send children to work because they undervalue education or disregard their children’s wellbeing. In many cases, child labour reflects deeper household vulnerabilities. Rising living costs, insecure employment, low wages, debt, illness, economic shocks, and limited livelihood opportunities can place enormous pressure on families struggling to meet their basic needs.
This is why child labour cannot be separated from the broader discussion on decent work and economic security for adults. The global theme for World Day Against Child Labour 2026, “Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults,” highlights an important reality. Children are far less likely to enter the workforce when adults have access to stable employment, fair wages, safe working conditions, and effective social protection. Protecting children therefore requires supporting the economic resilience of the families they depend on.
The consequences of child labour extend well beyond individual households. Countries that fail to invest in children’s education and development ultimately bear significant social and economic costs. A workforce with lower levels of education and skills is less productive, less innovative, and less able to contribute to sustainable economic growth. Child labour therefore represents not only a violation of children’s rights but also a loss of human potential that affects national development.
Climate change is adding further pressure on already vulnerable families. Pakistan’s repeated experiences with floods, droughts, heatwaves, and displacement have demonstrated how environmental crises can undermine livelihoods and increase economic insecurity. When incomes decline or families lose their homes and assets, children are often among the first to feel the impact. Some leave school to contribute to household income, while others become more vulnerable to exploitation and hazardous work.
Addressing child labour requires a broader understanding of children’s needs and rights. Children need more than protection from exploitation. They need access to quality education, healthcare, safe environments, social support, and opportunities to realize their full potential. Families need livelihoods, social protection, and support systems that reduce reliance on children’s earnings during periods of hardship.
One of the most overlooked realities when designing programmes to eliminate child labour is that children enter labour through very different pathways, circumstances, and experiences. Children enter labour under conditions shaped by poverty, family breakdown, disability, migration, displacement, educational exclusion, abuse, debt, or other forms of vulnerability. Yet responses are often designed around standardized interventions that assume all children require the same form of support, typically centred on non-formal education or basic literacy programmes. While education remains critically important, a one-size-fits-all approach may overlook the diverse needs, aspirations, and circumstances of individual children.
Effective responses require trained social workers and child protection professionals to assess each child’s situation, identify specific risks and needs, and develop tailored rehabilitation and support plans. Depending on the circumstances, these may include formal education, accelerated learning, vocational skills development, psychosocial support, healthcare, family strengthening, legal assistance, or other specialized services. Sustainable outcomes are more likely when interventions are child-centred, regularly reviewed, and adapted to the evolving needs of the child and family.
Experience from Pakistan and other countries demonstrates that child labour can be reduced when interventions address both the needs of children and the vulnerabilities of their families. However, many successful approaches remain fragmented, localized, or project-based, limiting their ability to reach children at scale and deliver lasting impact.
Meaningful progress will require sustained investment in both children and families. Expanding access to quality education, strengthening school retention efforts, supporting vulnerable households, promoting decent work opportunities for adults, and improving child protection services should remain central priorities. Child labour prevention must also be integrated into broader efforts related to poverty reduction, social protection, disaster response, and climate resilience.
Ultimately, child labour is not only about children working. It is about children losing opportunities to learn, grow, and realize their potential. Every child who leaves school for work represents a loss that extends beyond the individual child. It affects families, communities, and the future development of the country.
Pakistan’s future will be shaped by the opportunities available to its children today. Ensuring that children spend their childhoods in classrooms rather than workplaces is not simply a legal obligation or policy commitment. It is an investment in human development, social progress, and economic prosperity. Protecting children from labour exploitation while ensuring decent work and economic security for families is essential for building a more equitable and sustainable future for Pakistan.
Rashida Qureshi is a human rights activist and child rights professional with over a decade of experience advancing child protection, gender equality, safeguarding, and community development. She currently serves as Programme Manager at Search for Justice.
