Background: bonded labour in pakistan

The Government of Pakistan passed the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992, and the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Rules, 1995, which prohibit and punish bonded labour. Despite these laws, in 2000, research by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) estimated that the total number of agricultural sharecroppers in debt bondage in Pakistan to be over 1.8 million people, and that there could be as many as one million brick kiln workers in bonded labour.

Rapid assessment surveys covering nine industries were commissioned by the Pakistan Ministry of Labour and the International Labour Organization (ILO) between October 2002 and January 2003. These surveys indicate that little practical progress has been made against bonded labour although the nature and extent varied between sectors.

Brick kilns

One of the industries covered by the rapid assessment reports was brick kilns. The report published on this sector in 2004 concluded that "…there has been no reduction in legal bondage as defined under the Supreme Court judgement" and, despite national legislation, "more labour is in debt bondage than ever before".

The incidence of bonded labour in brick kilns is extremely high. A 2004 survey of brick kilns in Punjab by the Federal Bureau of Statistics found that nearly 90 per cent of workers took advances from the kiln-owner. The workers described their loan repayment period as indefinite. Around 66 per cent of households had annual incomes smaller than Rs 10,000 (US$167) despite commonly working 10 hours each day. Three quarters of workers complained of restrictions which sought to prevent them seeking other jobs.

Challenges

The rapid assessment surveys highlight the need to ensure the proper identification of bonded labourers and the effective prosecutions of those who violate the law. The 2001 National Policy and Plan of Action for the Abolition of Bonded Labour and the Rehabilitation of Freed Bonded Labourers outline a range of measures designed to tackle the problem. These included a national survey to identify the extent of bonded labour; reconstitution and activation of the District Vigilance Committees; awareness raising; state assistance for judicial redress; and the preparation of rehabilitation programmes for freed bonded labourers. The full implementation of this Plan of Action would greatly assist in reducing the number of bonded labourers in Pakistan and should be a priority for any future government.

Naseem's story

Naseem, a 35-year-old female bonded labourer, works with her three young children at a brick kiln in Punjab province. The family took a loan of Rs.15,000 (US$245) when they joined the brick kiln. They also take dasti, a loan for daily expenses, which is deducted from their wages when they are paid at the end of the week. After deductions, there is hardly any money left.

Naseem and her children work until late in the evening, and are paid according to the number of bricks that they make. The family as a whole can earn up to Rs.190 per day (US$3), which "is hardly enough to eat two times a day". When Naseem gets home she has to make dinner, do household chores and take care of her husband who has been unable to work for the past four years because of illness. Naseem cannot afford to buy the antibiotics which have been prescribed for him.

Naseem would like to send her children to school, but says that she cannot because the loss of the bricks that they make would halve their income, making it difficult to survive. Every night, Naseem is exhausted and thinks that she may not be able to work the next day, but says: "I just remind myself every morning that if I don't go to work, then how will we eat - and this forces me to stand up every morning".

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