By: Muhammad Umar Bilal Rathore
In Pakistan, bonded labor is a form of modern-day slavery, in which a creditor exploits an initial debt assumed by a worker and ultimately entraps the whole family from wife to kids to grandparents and grandchildren, sometimes for generations. The creditors keep the entire family indebted through interest payments and rent charges to live on the land where they are forced to work from dawn to dusk.
These creditors are usually brick kiln owners, and they target impoverished Hindus, Christians, and Muslims for forced and bonded labor. This practice remains widespread and affects over 4 million people in Pakistan. Brick kiln owners exploit the widespread illiteracy amongst workers and manipulate accounting records due to a weak judiciary system and poor law and order to continue the cycle of bonded labor.
Child Labor and Family Entrapment in Brick Kilns
Occasionally these brick kilns operate just a few miles outside of major city limits and the entire GT Road is filled with them. Entire families become entrapped in this vicious cycle of modern-day slavery. A sadder reality is that reports estimate more than 70% of bonded laborers in Pakistan are children. Children as young as 5 years’ old work in brick kilns to pay off debt owned by a family member in 40-degree scorching summer heat for more than 12 hours.
With rampant illiteracy rates of 40% and 26 million children out of schools, they have no choice to work as affording an education becomes too much of a burden on their families. There is also a differing ratio of enrolled children compared to urban areas (74%) and rural areas (51%).
The Scale of Bonded Child Labor in Pakistan
It is estimated that more than 2.8 million bonded child laborers currently work in Pakistan in upwards of 20,000 brick kilns. In some horrific cases, families of the children sell off their children into trafficking. Authorities have done little to nothing in terms of crushing this epidemic as labor department employees get paid to under-report on child labor activities by big factories and the police accept bribes for turning a blind eye.
Health and Social Impacts of Bonded Labor
Due to the horrendous working conditions and lack of protective equipment, these modern-day slaves suffer from an array of medical problems such as T.B (3-5 times the national average), respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and skin and eye conditions.
Children working in brick kilns face malnourishment which causes 60-70% to be stunted and further developmental delays. Bonded labor causes gender issues to exasperate with women working in bonded labor having 2-3 times higher miscarriage rates than the national average as well as 30% low birth weight babies.
Legal Loopholes Perpetuating Bonded Labor
Legal framework is also to blame here as labor laws in Pakistan are made to profit the rich and exploit the weak and poor. The minimum age to work in Pakistan is 15, below the international standard of 16 while the minimum age of hazardous work is 14 in Pakistan which is against international standards.
This is why most bonded or trafficked child laborers in Pakistan work in brick kilns, carpet weaving and coal mines. Pakistan also needs to adopt a law called Prohibition Using Children in Illicit Activities to match international standard and accommodate begging, sexual exploitation and petty theft.
Iqbal Masih: A Symbol of Resistance Against Bonded Labor
Who can forget the story of brave Iqbal Masih, who was sold into bonded labor for little under 7 dollars. The money was used for this mom’s treatment but in return he lost his freedom. He was forced to work for 12 hours every day for weeks on end with only half hour breaks. He weaved carpets for cents with no end in sight to his nightmare or any hope of his debt being repaid. But without losing hope, he fought against the system with the stacks raised against him and won. He joined the BLLF and toured nationally and internationally telling his story and fighting against the stigma.
He freed countless children from child bonded labor and started his education. He wanted to become a lawyer and fight the injustice through the legal system but his dreams were stopped short by a bullet at the youthful age of 12 fired by the corrupt mafia and system he was fighting. His hopes and dreams live on with us and we must carry his torch and break the cycle.
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