Situation Analysis of Child Labour in Punjab
In December 2023, Search for Justice and the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) jointly released a comprehensive Situation Analysis on Child Labour in Punjab with the support of Kindernothlife (KNH). Authored by Qindeel Shujaat, Executive Director of Obun2, the report offers a rigorous review of legislative and administrative frameworks governing child labour in Punjab.
The report was formally unveiled during a policy dialogue titled “Way Forward in Addressing Child Labour in Punjab,” hosted by LCWU’s Department of Sociology and attended by representatives from various government departments, civil society organisations, educators, and legal experts. The event underscored the need for evidence-based, data-driven strategies to combat child exploitation across industrial and domestic settings.
During the launch, Qindeel Shujaat presented the analysis’s key findings, emphasising gaps in enforcement and legislation. He highlighted the need for stronger coordination across labor, education, and child protection departments, as well as improved budgetary allocation to support rehabilitation and schooling interventions.
The report highlights that the key challenges in addressing child labour include intergenerational poverty, lack of viable alternatives, limited access to quality education, lack of a systems approach, limited accessibility and outreach, economic inequalities, gaps in the legal framework, weak enforcement of laws, disconnect between policy formulation and implementation, social acceptance of child labour, lack of investment in the social sector, impact of internal and inter-provincial migration, dominance of the informal sector, gaps in data collection, lack of political will, lack of children’s representation, and sustainability of project interventions.
Multiple speakers contributed to the dialogue and underscored various dimensions of the child labour crisis. Mr Iftikhar Mubarik, Executive Director Search for Justice called for more robust inspection mechanisms and effective implementation of Punjab’s child labour laws, noting that administrative capacity remains a serious constraint. Mr Nadeem Ashraf, NCHR Punjab Member, emphasised the importance of aligning provincial legislation with international labour standards, stressing that current regulations fail to cover domestic and informal sectors comprehensively. Academicians from LCWU and civil society representatives highlighted the critical role of community-level awareness and education in curbing child labour practices, especially in rural and low‑income communities.
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