Child Labor in Pakistan

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Child Labor in Pakistan

Picture yourself as a 7 year old with a full time job, no education, and the responsibility to provide for your family. Could you do it? Would you be able to work long hours for years on end in unhealthy and possibly unsafe conditions? “The term ‘child labor’ is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and that is harmful to physical and mental development” (What is Child Labor ). A child is considered to be a person under the age of 18. Not all work performed by children is unacceptable work. Acceptable work complies with applicable labor laws which may limit the type of work, work conditions, work hours and pay rates. Unacceptable work for a child is work that places children in dangerous or hazardous situations or keeps the child from school in order to perform his or her duties. Work conditions such as enslavement, forced separations from families, bonded labor, extreme work hours and below minimum wages are considered illegal. Unfortunately, in Pakistan a large number of children experience these unacceptable work conditions. In Pakistan, the human rights of children are grossly violated every day due to the abuses that occur with the widespread use of child labor by many Pakistani industries. Economic pressures on companies and families, the current political setting and the social environment combine to allow the continuation of the victimization of the children of Pakistan.

There are many companies that employ, buy, or force children to work. The low cost of child labor gives the manufacturers a significant advantage in the western market place because they can undersell their competitors. (Child labor in Pakistan). There was a child named Ia...

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... will be paying the price with the loss of their human rights.

Works Cited

"Free The Children - Issues Library." Freethechildren.net. Free The Children, 2011. Web.

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“Child Labor.” Spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Spartacus Educational, n.d. Web. 02 January. 2012.

Child Labor Public Education Project. University of Iowa, n.d. Web. 02 January. 2012.

"ILAB - Pakistan." Dol.gov. The U.S. Department of Labor, n.d. Web. 02 January. 2012.

“Labour Laws Pakistan.” Labourunity.org. Labour Unity Organization, n.d. Web. 2 Jan. 2012. “Quotes." Globalmarch.org. Global March Against Child Labour, n.d. Web. 02 Jan. 2012.

Silvers, Jonathan. "Child Labor in Pakistan.” The Atlantic. February (1996) Web. 02 Jan. 2012 .

“Worst Form of Child Labour – Pakistan.” Globalmarch.org. Global March Against Child Labour, n.d. Web. 02 January. 2012.

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