Peshawar  -  Toiling hard at an auto workshop in the bustling town of Nowshera, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, young Adil Khan was surrounded by scattered spare parts and tools, fixing engines and CNG kits to earn money to support his family.

With his small hands blackened and greasy, and his eyes navigating the complex machinery of vehicles at the Pabbi town auto market, Adil entered this grueling profession in 2020, driven by poverty that forced him to abandon his education at Amankot Primary School.

“The year 2000 was very painful for my family when my mother had to borrow a large amount of money for the treatment of my father’s pancreatic cancer,” he recalled, telling his painful story. “My father’s prolonged illness and my mother’s distress compelled me to work in the auto market and help my family.”

With distress in his eyes, he continued, “Poverty deprived me of both education and my childhood. Now, I work long hours, and my ambition for education has drowned deep somewhere in my heart.” Adil’s story is one among millions witnessed daily in our surroundings, with children from hundreds of thousands of families forced into early labor due to financial constraints. Although the government has launched numerous projects in the education, legal, and social sectors to improve the lot of people, and to ensure that school dropouts or runaways are re-enrolled and child labor is curbed, the desired results are still awaited.

Jehanzeb Khan, Manager at the Society for Protection of the Rights of Children (SPARC) KP, states that a large number of children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour due to poverty and socio-economic imbalances. “The Pakistan Labour Force Survey reveals a worrying number of children aged 10-17 who are involved in various forms of labour across the country.”

A recent Child Labor Survey conducted by the Labour Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reported that approximately 1.5 million children in the province were working as child labourers, with thousands of children under 10 found working at shops and auto markets.

“Poverty and illiteracy are the primary drivers behind this pressing issue,” said Dr Muhammad Naeem Khattak, an educationist. “As the poverty rate rises, it directly impacts the social sector, leading to an increase in child labour. Financial instability forces families to prioritize immediate economic needs over their children’s education and health.”

“The literacy rate in Pakistan is around 62.8%, with almost half of the population lacking access to quality education,” Naeem added. “This lack of opportunity forces many youngsters to take up labor at an early age, particularly in impoverished areas. Therefore, we need comprehensive policies to protect children’s rights and ensure access to quality and affordable education for all.”

As the country faces numerous socio-economic challenges, efforts to combat child labor often appear insufficient. With the country’s mounting debt burden, low economic growth, and pressure on foreign exchange reserves, every government’s first priority remains to improve economic conditions. Consequently, many important issues slip down the priority list due to poor economic conditions and unnecessary political wrangling, which adversely affect socio-economic sectors. Many public sector organizations and NGOs working in this area face financial constraints and dwindling enthusiasm, hampering their ability to make a meaningful impact.

Although the government has recognized education as a fundamental right under Article 25-A of the Constitution, its implementation in remote areas remains weak. Civil society activists have urged the KP government to raise the minimum employment age from 14 to 16 years, allowing more children to access education.

Meanwhile, Fazal Shakoor Khan, KP Minister for Labour, has mentioned several steps taken to combat child labor, including Rs177.5 million allocated for the education of child labourers and the planned appointment of wage magistrates to enforce minimum wage regulations.

“The Education Emergency Programme has been launched in nine remote districts to provide stipends and support to families to encourage school enrollment under the KP government’s Rs3.1 billion education emergency program,” he stated.

The minister informed that each child in these districts would receive a monthly stipend of Rs1,000, along with the option to enroll their children in registered private schools at government expense.

“Initially, 40,000 children, mostly street children from these nine districts, will benefit from this initiative,” he said. “Approximately 50 million free textbooks will be provided to children upon enrollment from grades 1 to 12, and 506 talented students will be granted ETEA scholarships.”

The minister also highlighted the adoption of multi-faceted policies, involving both government and private organisations, for meaningful action and the transparent utilisation of financial resources to break the child labour cycle. Although the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act has been enacted to combat forced labor, the real test lies in its enforcement. The road ahead requires unwavering commitment from all stakeholders to ensure that children like Adil Khan are given a chance to reclaim their childhood and secure their future through education.

As the government and society grapple with this pervasive issue, addressing child labour is not merely a policy issue but a moral imperative. Only through concerted efforts can we hope to turn the tide against this deeply entrenched social problem.