If Britain seeks to lead on human rights and responsible global trade, it cannot overlook one of the most entrenched systems of modern slavery operating in a country with which it has deep historical, economic and community ties. Pakistan’s brick-kiln industry continues to rely on bonded labour involving men, women and children working under conditions entirely at odds with the principles the UK promotes internationally.
The individual experiences highlighted in the debate illustrate the scale and nature of the problem. Yasmin, a mother of four from rural Punjab, accepted a small loan to cover her husband’s medical bills and subsequently found her family trapped in kiln labour, required to produce 1,000 bricks a day for 960 rupees[1]. Eleven-year-old Qaiser, who had wanted to become a doctor, now spends fourteen hours a day mixing clay after his father fell ill.[2]
These accounts reflect systemic issues rather than isolated hardship. Qaiser is one of hundreds of thousands of children trapped in bonded labor in Pakistan. Nearly 70% of bonded labourers in Pakistan are children, often mandated to work all day and denied an education.[3] Children in bonded labour working at brick kilns face a high mortality rate and approximately one in 20 families living in brick kilns have children who have lost their eyesight.[4]
Pakistan is one of the countries most affected by modern slavery, with an estimated 2.34 million people subject to various forms of exploitation. In Punjab alone, there are around 10,000 brick kilns employing more than 1 million workers.[5] Far from being marginal, bonded labour in kilns is interwoven with the economic structures of a country that is both a major UK development partner and a significant contributor to global supply chains.
The system disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. Religious minorities, including Christians, Hindus and Scheduled Caste groups, comprise roughly 5% of Pakistan’s population but make up “as high as 50%” of the workforce in some kiln areas.[6] Illiteracy is widespread; one survey found 80% of workers in a single kiln unable to read, making them particularly susceptible to manipulated debts or contracts.[7] Women face high levels of abuse, with 35% reporting harassment by employers according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.[8] Children as young as four have been found working in hazardous conditions associated with respiratory disease, tuberculosis and severe malnutrition.[9]
The weight of debt makes individuals more vulnerable to other forms of exploitation, including organ trafficking, sexual violence, physical abuse, false allegations by authorities, and other forms that continue to bind bonded laborers to the brick kilns, from which influential politicians and their relatives, who in large part own the brick kilns, benefit.[10] The debts owed rarely decrease, with high interest rates, added fees, and false accusations and corruption within the police force compounding the debts and trapping generations of families in bonded labour.[11]
Pakistan’s legal framework already contains the necessary protections. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1992 formally outlawed debt bondage, and provincial laws prohibit child labour in kilns. Nevertheless, Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights has observed that enforcement remains “weak,” inspections “rare,” and oversight committees “inactive or non-existent.” As noted during the debate, bonded labour “persists—indeed, it seems to thrive.”
For the UK, the case for engagement rests on three points.
First, alignment with national values. Britain’s long-standing opposition to slavery implies a responsibility to ensure that its policies and supply chains do not contribute to bonded labour abroad.
Second, economic credibility. UK firms cannot currently verify that kiln-fired goods or construction materials from Pakistan are free of forced labour. Introducing mandatory human-rights due diligence, restricting slave-made goods in public procurement and creating a certification scheme would give companies clear standards and support responsible trade.
Third, effective use of aid. Linking UK assistance to measurable progress on labour protections would reinforce Pakistan’s own commitments and help ensure that funding drives improvements in enforcement and inspections.
The UK already supports initiatives promoting legal reform, child protection and responsible business conduct, yet evidence suggests that stronger coordination and firmer conditions are needed to achieve lasting change.[12]
A focused strategy would align aid, diplomacy and trade incentives to improve enforcement of bonded-labour laws, strengthen independent inspections, support civil-society organisations working with affected families and embed supply-chain due diligence into UK business practice. Regular senior-level dialogue would keep bonded labour and minority protections central to the bilateral relationship. Recent court-supported releases of bonded labourers in Sindh demonstrate that progress is possible when laws are applied and victims have access to legal assistance.[13]
No brick made through suffering should ever be laid in silence. Ensuring that the UK’s partnerships, supply chains and development programmes reflect these principles is consistent with long-standing British commitments and supports the broader aim of eliminating modern slavery wherever it persists.
References
- [1] “The spiralling debt trapping Pakistan’s brick kiln workers”, Al Jazeera, 21 October 2019
- [2] Ibid.
- [3] Ibid.
- [4] “The brick kiln child workers of Pakistan,” Mayberry JF, Farrukh A., Medico-Legal Journal. 2024;92(4):210-212.
- [5] “A study of deficits in the fundamental principles and rights at work in the brick kiln supply chain,” International Labour Organization, 2022
- [6] “APPG For Pakistani Minorities Report- Exploitation of Bonded Brick Kiln Labourers in Pakistan: The Unseen Modern-Day Slavery,” Lord Alton of Liverpool, 29 May 2024
- [7] “Socio-economic Determinants & Dynamics of Debt Bondage: A descriptive Analysis of Brick Kiln Workers in Punjab, Pakistan,” Kashif Kamran Khan and Amber Shahzadi, May 2022
- [8] “About 35% of women workers are harassed, tortured at brick kiln,” The Express Tribune, 3 November 2019
- [9] “A/HRC/58/NGO/58 Exploitative Child Labor in Brick Kilns of Pakistan,” United Nations, 23 January 2025
- [10] Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia, Siddharth Kara, 6 May 2014
- [11] “Barnabas frees another 213 Pakistani families from bonded labour,” Barnabas Aid, 18 March 2025
- [12] “The UK and UN launch Aawaz II programme to empower and protect Pakistan’s youth, women and children” British High Commission Islamabad, 17 May 2018[1]
- [13]“20 bonded labourers freed in raid on brick kiln near Khadar,” Dawn, 29 December 2024
