Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir: In the shadow of Azad Kashmir’s legislative promises to eradicate child labor, thousands of minors in the region’s capital, Muzaffarabad, remain trapped in exploitative work, while authorities, politicians, and NGOs turn a blind eye to their plight. Despite a 2020 law banning underage labor, children as young as six are seen toiling in hotels, auto workshops, markets, and garbage dumps, their futures sacrificed to poverty and systemic neglect.
A Law Ignored, A Crisis Unchecked
The Azad Kashmir Legislative Assembly outlawed child labor four years ago, prohibiting employment under age 16. Yet, the streets of Muzaffarabad tell a different story. Children scavenge through trash heaps for recyclables, hawk vegetables at intersections, and lug heavy water bottles at transport hubs. At upscale shopping malls, minors work as cleaners or helpers, their small hands scrubbing floors instead of holding books.
“My father died last year. I have to feed my mother and sisters,” said 12-year-old Ali*, sorting through rotting waste at a dumpster. His story echoes across the city, where inflation and unemployment force families to rely on child labor for survival.
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Hypocrisy in High Places
While officials tout “merit and justice,” their own children attend elite private schools, shielded from the harsh realities faced by Muzaffarabad’s poor. The Education Department, despite grand claims of enrollment drives, has failed to integrate working children into schools. “No one from the government has ever visited this area to ask why these kids aren’t in classrooms,” said Rafiq Ahmed, a social worker in the Neelum Valley slums.
NGOs, too, face sharp criticism. Organizations receiving millions in international funds for child rights have reduced their efforts to hosting seminars in luxury hotels. “They take photos with banners, then disappear. Nothing changes for these children,” said local teacher Saima Khan.
Root Causes: Poverty and Political Apathy
With over 35% of Azad Kashmir’s population below the poverty line, families rely on children’s meager earnings—often less than $2 a day—to afford food. The region’s Prime Minister, Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq, has repeatedly pledged to “uplift the marginalized,” yet activists accuse his administration of indifference. “How can the PM not see these children? They’re invisible to those in power,” said rights advocate Zahra Abbas.
Calls for Action Grow Louder
As international bodies like the ILO press Pakistan to comply with child labor conventions, Muzaffarabad’s crisis highlights a broader failure. “Laws exist only on paper. Without enforcement, poverty will keep fueling this cycle,” argued economist Dr. Faisal Malik.
For now, the streets of Muzaffarabad remain a grim tableau of lost childhoods—a crisis met with silence from those tasked to end it.
The Azadi urges authorities to prioritize child welfare audits and accountability for NGOs misusing funds. Follow our ongoing coverage of labor rights in the region.
Name changed to protect identity.
Context for International Readers:
- Azad Kashmir: A region administered by Pakistan, distinct from Jammu and Kashmir, which is disputed between India and Pakistan.
- ILO Conventions: Pakistan ratified the International Labour Organization’s Minimum Age Convention (No. 138) in 2006, legally binding it to eradicate child labor.
