Life at risk : hazardous child labour within agriculture in Sialkot, Pakistan

Abstract: The issue of child labor and hazardous work is a reality in many developing countries including Pakistan. With its high population density, mostly in the rural areas, a majority of the households engage in activities that are geared towards survival without considering the negative implications. Children who are usually of school going age and on whose shoulders the future depend are forced to work, often in hazardous conditions.The reasons for child labor are many; the most salient factors are poverty, lack of education and the lack of implementation of the laws of Pakistan. This study was conducted in the Union Council Dhilum Ballagun, Sialkot district in the Punjab Province of Pakistan; where many forms of child labour on farms is widespread. Child labor in agriculture demonstrates a high recruitment rate of young people; the conditions are often dangerous to many hazards that really harm their health. This study primarily discusses the agriculture child labor in district Sialkot with a particular focus on their working and health condition.