Member profile
Ms. Uzooba Hureem
Organization:
Punjab Economic Research Institute (PERI), Planning and Development Board
Country:
Pakistan
Field(s) of expertise:
Ms. Uzooba Hureem
Pakistan is predominantly characterized by small agricultural landholdings, where farmers are dependent on hired labourers or pooling labourers, as opposed to mechanized agriculture. More often than not, small farm operations are carried out with the help of the family unit instead of hiring agriculture labour from outside (who have to be paid). Thus, the small farm owner or landless farmer (sharecropper/tenant) mostly depends on his/her family to save labour costs and increase profits. The whole family, including children, contribute to this enterprise for their livelihood and income. Limited income/poverty leads households to be economically dependent on child work/labour for their livelihoods and food security.
Children (irrespective of attending school or not) are engaged in farm work with their parents who are either small landowners, share-croppers or tenants. They start helping their parents from an early age in all domestic and farm chores especially at harvest time when adults are busier. However, this work is assigned according to capacity consideration by the parents. Moreover, parents/adults work in hazardous working conditions due to lack of safety measures adopted for pesticide spray. Children are not involved in this but are exposed to it, because of their involvement in other farm work.