Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Child Labour: A Case Study of Pakistan

Abstract

The issue of child labour and its consequences on developing economies during COVID-19 is significant to debate as the problem has hurt children the most in the current situation. Due to the Pandemic, children suffer more as many families face loss of lives, reduced livelihood, and economic opportunities. Children participating in the labour force belonging South Asian countries will face a surplus of Child Labour due to COVID-19 in the coming years.To the best of our knowledge, no such studies have considered the issue in hand. The study has worked on a "special survey evaluating the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on the well-being of people" published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. This study focuses on seeing the consequences of COVID-19 on the labour market, especially child labour. The analysis reveals overwhelming findings. It is suggested that the government should provide parenting support to help families on the verge of entering into poverty as COVID-19 has affected the income-generating opportunities. Further, it is recommended to coordinate with all the key players of the institutions to cover the problem of food security, child protection, and child anti-trafficking problems as these are the significant problems that children are facing. Moreover, Job opportunities should be created to facilitate youth employment; those near reaching their legal age to work should be included in the focused group to prevent child labour.