Child labour in domestic work is a widespread phenomenon across Pakistan. One in every four households in Pakistan employs a child in domestic work, predominantly children in the age group of 10 to 14 years, according to a study conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 2022.
It is important to distinguish between child labour in domestic work and children performing non-hazardous household chores in their homes in reasonable conditions under supervision. Performing household chores such as changing the bed, tiding the room, cleaning the table are an integral part of family life and of growing up.
Domestic labour involves children performing household chores while working in private homes. Child domestic workers are vulnerable to hazards such as carrying heavy tools, handling dangerous items like knives and hammers, using the stove to make tea, and using toxic chemicals to clean. They do not have defined working hours and are unable to access education and healthcare. Moreover, children working as domestic labourers are at risk of malnourishment, unreasonable confinement to the premises of the employer, and sexual abuse.
Unfortunately, the practice of employing children as domestic workers has become a norm in Pakistani society. It is seen in a positive light as a protected and non-stigmatized type of child labour, and is perceived as less cruel than others forms of employment, such as children working in brick kilns or factories. Child labour in domestic...
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