A survey, conducted after 28 years, has revealed alarming data that over 1.6 million children aged 10 to 17 are engaged in different forms of labour, many in dangerous and exploitative environments, across Sindh.
The Sindh Child Labour Survey 2022-2024, conducted by the Sindh Labour Department with technical assistance from Unicef and the Bureau of Statistics Sindh, revealed that 50.4 per cent of working children between ages 10 and 17 are exposed to hazardous conditions including excessive working hours, extreme weather, and unsafe tools and machinery.
Director General Labour, Muhammad Ali Shah, who led the project, said that the report has been submitted to the provincial government for action. He mentioned a significant decline in child labour compared to the 1996 national baseline — nearly 50 per cent lower — but emphasised that the numbers are still deeply concerning.
According to the findings, school attendance among working children is just 40.6 per cent, in contrast to 70.5 per cent among non-working children. Educational participation drops significantly with age, particularly among girls aged 14 to 17, who also shoulder the bulk of household chores — averaging 13.9 hours of unpaid domestic work per week. This contributes heavily to school dropout rates.
District-level data shows wide disparities. Qambar Shahdadkot tops the list with a child labour prevalence of 30.8 per cent, followed by Tharparkar at 29 per cent, Tando Muhammad Khan at 20.3 per cent, and Shikarpur at 20.2 per cent. Karachi has the lowest rate, at just 2.38 per cent.
The report also draws a strong correlation between poverty and child labour. In the poorest households, 33.7 per cent reported having at least one child engaged in work.
