Bonded Labour in agriculture: a rapid assessment in Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistan

This Working Paper is one of a series of Rapid Assessments of bonded labour in Pakistan, each of which examines a different economic sector. The aim of these studies is to inform the implementation of the Government of Pakistan’s National Policy and Plan of Action for the Abolition of Bonded Labour, adopted in 2001. Maliha Hussein and her collaborators were responsible for preparation of this paper on bonded labour in the agriculture sector in Sindh and Balochistan provinces. It should be read in conjunction with a companion paper that covers Punjab and North West Frontier Province.

The research was conducted under the guidance of the Bonded Labour Research Forum (BLRF), a distinguished group of Pakistani research and development specialists, convened by the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis with the support of the ILO. The Rapid Assessments were undertaken by independent Pakistani researchers, who were selected by the BLRF for their competence and experience in the different sectors.
The research programme was overseen by Caroline O’Reilly of the Special Action Programme to combat Forced Labour (SAP-FL) of the Declaration Programme in Geneva. Ali Khan worked as Research Coordinator for the duration of the research process, based at the ILO in Islamabad.