SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF CHILD LABOR IN SOUTHERN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Child labor remains one of the most persistent and deeply rooted challenges globally. International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (2021) estimated that approximately 160 million children, nearly 1 in 10 worldwide, are engaged in child labor, and of these, 79 million are involved in hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety, or moral development. The objectives of the research were to examine the socio-cultural determinants of child labor in Southern Punjab and to analyze the economic factors contribution to child labor in Southern Punjab, Pakistan. The study was carried out in three divisions of Southern Punjab, Pakistan: (i) Dera Ghazi Khan, (ii) Multan, and (iii) Bahawalpur. The data were gathered from household heads whose children were between the ages of five and sixteen and did child labor. Before data collection, the enumerators asked the respondent for an acceptable time for data collection. It was found that majority of the respondents were agreed that the cultural dominancy, poverty, gendered attitude, occupational inheritance and future certainty were the reasons of child labor. The majority 55.8% of the respondents were agreed that changing traditional gender roles can help reduce child labor. The majority 53.3% of the respondents were disagreed that community attitudes support boys working but discourage girls from working outside the home. The majority 54.8% of the respondents were agreed that children working in family businesses or farms are common economic survival strategy. The majority 68.3% of the respondents were agreed that economic hardship makes it difficult for families to prioritize education over immediate income. The majority 48.5% of the respondents were disagreed that economic inequality in society contributes to the persistence of child labor. The majority 65.1% of the respondents were agreed that Government social support programs are insufficient to prevent families from sending children to work. The majority 64.0% of the respondents were agreed that children involved in child labor often face social exclusion in their communities. The majority 57.6% of the respondents were agreed that child labor limits children’s opportunities to participate in social and cultural activities. It is recommended that to cut down on child labor, make sure that all children can go to good schools in poor areas. Start conditional cash transfer programs for poor families to stop kids from working and get them to go to school. Make sure that child labor laws are followed more strictly to stop abuse, especially in unregulated areas. Create flexible school systems for kids who work, like evening schools and non-formal education. Make people in the community more aware of the long-term bad effects of child labor and social exclusion.