Stuck in a relentless cycle of abuse and exploitation, poor children across Sindh are being robbed of the most basic promise of childhood. A new government survey has laid bare the scale of the crisis. More than 1.6 million children between the ages of five and 17 in the province are trapped in child labour. Among older children, over half are working in hazardous conditions.
There is nothing ambiguous about what this means. Children are being sent into the fields, into workshops and onto streets because families have few other options. Poverty may be the most cited reason, but it is not the only one. A culture of impunity allows employers to get away with hiring minors, and a chronic lack of investment in education ensures that many never see the inside of a classroom. The psychological costs are equally severe. Children in labour are twice as likely to show symptoms of depression, which means that a society that normalises such exploitation is setting itself up for generational harm. This must no longer be tolerated. The Sindh government must move beyond token commitments. Existing laws prohibiting child and bonded labour must be enforced without exception. That means regular inspections and severe legal action against violators. But enforcement alone is not enough. Poverty alleviation and access to quality education must go hand in hand. Families cannot be expected to make the right choice for their children when no real choice exists. Social protection schemes and community accountability mechanisms are essential to support struggling families.
These children deserve justice. They deserve freedom from labour, freedom from debt, and a chance to dream. Anything less is a failure of the state and a stain on society.
