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Technical Cooperation Project Summary

Project Title

Combating Child Labor in the Carpet Industry in Pakistan, Phases 1 & 2

Region/Country

ASIA/Pakistan

Project Duration

April 1, 1999 – September 30, 2007

Fiscal Year & Funding Level

Phase 1: FY 1998 & FY 1999: USD 2,055,146;
Phase 2: FY 2002: USD 3,500,000

Problem to be Addressed

In the province of Punjab alone, over 100,000 child weavers (of whom nearly 60% are girls) are estimated to be working in the carpet industry.  The children work on average 6-10 hours per day and lack opportunities for education, while their daily earnings of 5-20 rupees (10-40 cents US) are often paid to their parents.  Child weavers also face a variety of work-related health hazards, including muscular-skeletal disorders, respiratory ailments, joint deformities, and sleep disorders, as well as corporal punishment.

Results

Phases 1 & 2 of the project together withdrew 23,955 children and prevented 5,180 children from work in the carpet industry.  Target geographic areas included Gujranwala, Sheikhupura, Hafizabad, Toba Tek Singh, Faisalabad, and Multan districts in the province of Punjab.

Project Objectives

Phase 1: Contribute to the total elimination of child labor in the carpet industry in Pakistan.

Intermediate Objectives included:

  • Reduce child labor in the carpet sector in Sheikhupura and Gujranwala through workplace monitoring and the provision of education alternatives to children withdrawn from child labor; and
  • Establish and implement a plan for the expansion of the program into the rest of Punjab.

Phase 2: Contribute to the total elimination of child labor in the carpet industry in Pakistan.

Intermediate objectives included:

  • Reduce child labor in the carpet sector in Sheikhupura, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Multan, Faisalabad and Toba Tek Singh through workplace monitoring and the provision of education alternatives to children withdrawn from child labor;
  • Increase stakeholder and partner capacity to combat child labor; and
  • Establish and implement a plan for the expansion of the program into the rest of Pakistan.