By Shayne R. Burnham
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – With the coming of Eid al-Fitr, there is a boost in the glass bangles industry, and an increase in the child labor it takes to meet the high demand. One child worker states, “Usually we work eight or nine hours a day. At busy times like this we work for up to 16.” He earns approximately $13 per month. Another child said, “Our parents are very poor. We have to work, though I would like to go to school. If the workshop owner is happy with our work he may give us some extra money and then our parents will be happy.“
The International Labour Organization (ILO) conducted a study of the glass bangles industry and found that, on average, children worked nearly 12 hours per day. Children sit hunched over hot furnaces and are subject to toxic chemicals, putting their health at risk.
Non-governmental organizations such as the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), based in Islamabad, estimate approximately 8 to 10 million children are exploited for work. According to the Federal Bureau of Statistics, 3.3 million are engaged in the glass bangle industry.
SPARC’s national manager for promotions stated that it is not poverty that leads to exploitation, “The notion that poverty is a cause is inaccurate. In fact child labor itself leads to poverty and creates a vicious circle… The high drop-out rate from schools, with 50 percent leaving education within the first five years of primary education, also contributes to child labor.” Moreover, the lack of awareness attributes to Pakistani child labor since consumers do not know how the bangles are made.
A study conducted by Save the Children said that, “eradication of this labour is not a viable option unless new avenues and opportunities are created.” They also point out that one impediment is that there are few work alternatives and few pay as much.
For more information, please see:
BBC – Pakistan Labour Effort Praised – 4 May 2006
Irin – Pakistan: The Darker Side of Glittering Bangles – 3 October 2008
IPS – Rights-Pakistan: Glass Bangle Industry Rides on Child Labour – 20 June 2003
