A survey completed jointly by the Sindh Labor Department, UNICEF, and the Bureau of Statistics has revealed the fact that over 1.6 million children are engaged in child labor in Sindh. The Sindh Child Labor Survey 2022-2024, the first in 28 years, paints a grim picture of child labor among 10 to 17-year-olds in the province. According to Muhammad Ali Shah, Director General of the Sindh Labor Department, more than half of these children face hazardous working environments, including long working hours, extreme weather, and dangerous equipment. A joint project of the department, UNICEF, and the Bureau of Statistics, the study also found a stark disparity in education. Only 40.6% of child laborers attend school, compared to 70.5% of their non-working counterparts. Adolescent girls face additional obstacles, with those aged 14-17 spending nearly 14 hours a week on household chores, often forcing them to abandon their education.

Although the overall child labor rate has almost halved since 1996, several districts present serious challenges. Qambar Shahdadkot leads with a 30.8% child labor rate, followed by Tharparkar (29%), Shikarpur (20.2%), and Tando Muhammad Khan (20.3%). Conversely, Karachi has the lowest rate at 2.38%. The study highlights a clear link between child labor and poverty, with one-third of low-income families reporting at least one working child. Furthermore, one-fifth of working children show signs of depression, a figure nearly double that of non-working children. The Sindh government, now in possession of the report, faces mounting pressure to implement measures to eradicate child labor and protect the future of its young citizens.