Sindh govt report acknowledges child labour, marriages in the province

Over 4 per cent of children in Karachi are victims of forced child labour, while nearly 43 percent of marriages violated the Child Marriage Act, according to the report from the Sindh government that acknowledges the trend of the said violations could not be eliminated in the province. 

Statistics shared by the authorities reveal that 2.38 percent of children in Karachi and 4.5 per cent in Hyderabad are being forced to work.

The report highlights a troubling trend in the province, the prevalence of early and underage marriages.

Jaccobabad is particularly concerning, with a staggering 46.3 percent of underage marriages taking place. Dadu is not far behind, with 42.9 per cent of marriages occurring at an early age.

The alarming situation demands immediate attention and action to protect the rights and futures of our youth.

According to the data, Umar Kot reported 40.2 percent child marriages, Shikarpur 38.6 percent, Tharparkar 36.4, Sanghar 34.7, Sukkar 32.6, Tando Allahyar 32.4, Matiyari 29.2 per cent, Naushahro Feroze and Khairpur each reported 28.8 child marriages. 

Jamshoro reported 26.7 per cent cases of child marriages, Thatta 23.8 percent, Sajawal 22.2 per cent, Hyderabad 17.4 per cent, while Karachi with the least number reported 15.4 per cent cases of child marriages. 

It should be noted that the Sindh Assembly passed a law setting the marriage age at 18, but it has not been implemented.