Pakistan ranks eighth among 167 countries in terms of the prevalence of modern slavery
Empathy and compassion are human defining attributes yet no other living being remains ever-seduced by the primal urge of enslaving one of its own.
We are fortunate indeed to have people like Naeem Sadiq to call out these inhuman excesses. His exemplary zeal for highlighting the excruciating predicaments of oppressed workers is a ray of hope in this otherwise sordid saga. In his recent article lamenting the plight of Pakistan’s ever-exploited workers, Dr Naazir Mahmood highlighted Naeem Sadiq’s selfless endeavours.
Our unemployment rate for 2025 is forecasted at 6.81 million people, almost 8.0 per cent of our population. For this teeming pool of unemployed young and those who are working under oppressive conditions, their present steadfastly remains the past. Crushed by ponderous yokes of servitude, for them, life itself is the bitterest burden. Sacrificing their dreams and aspirations they toil endlessly for their employers, nay masters.
In return, their lives remain devoid of fair treatment, due respect and appreciation. Acclaimed civil rights activist Maya Angelou described their agony as: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Add religious bigotry to this travesty, and the debasement reaches abhorrent proportions. Our ruling dispensations, relics of our colonial past, set unholy trends by casting stereotypes and prejudices on certain professions.
A report by the National Commission for Human Rights, titled ‘Unequal Citizens’, states that from 2011 to 2021, more than 300 discriminatory advertisements throughout Pakistan were published to hire non-Muslims as sanitary workers.
In May 2021, the Sindh Livestock Department announced 42 vacancies for sweepers and sanitary workers exclusive to non-Muslims. The Hyderabad Municipal Corporation also invited applications for sanitary workers with the same conditions.
A World Watch Monitor report puts non-Muslims in sanitation work here at above 80 per cent whereas they are less than 2.0 per cent of the total population. This is a blatant contravention of Article 27 of the constitution that guarantees that no citizen shall be discriminated against in respect of any appointment on the ground of race, religion, caste, sex or place of birth. But then, when did the constitution ever matter in Pakistan?
Pakistan ranks eighth among 167 countries in terms of the prevalence of modern slavery. The Global Slavery Index 2023 reported an estimated 10.6 in every thousand people in modern slavery in Pakistan. Its estimates put about three million people in forced labour and in debt bondage.
Our otherwise patriarchal society is built on the trickle-down effects of subjugation. This is compounded by the paradigm that modern slavery is prevalent in countries with repressive regimes, conflict areas, absent rule of law, poor governance and a dearth of social protection.
Our ruling dispensations have always patronised the mainstay of their power: influential landlords and the rich. This lot remains above the law. Endemic poverty and distress migrations provide them with an endless horde of vulnerable people for their servitude.
Last week, yet another innocent being, toiling for a pittance, was murdered in cold blood. 17-year-old Sophia Bibi, working 24/7 for just Rs15000, was severely tortured and strangled to death in a Jhelum residential society. She was accused of stealing jewellery. It later came to light that another person did it. Can words describe her horrifying ordeal? The greatest travesty is that the perpetrators get away scot-free, giving carte blanche to the like-minded.
Safe and fair working conditions for workers, including domestic workers, are imperative and are the primary responsibility of the government. As it is, we have individuals who are the guiding light. One such example is Iqbal Masih. Escaping from his carpet-weaving bondage at the age of 10, Iqbal went on to become the president of the children’s wing of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front of Pakistan.
Aspiring to become a lawyer, Iqbal wanted to devote his life to liberating children from bonded labour. He was awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award in Boston, Massachusetts for his advocacy. Just a year later, in April 1995 at the tender age of 12, Iqbal Masih was murdered in his native Rakh Baoli at the behest of a local landlord. A symbol of unimaginable courage, strength and hope, the few years that he lived left a legacy that eludes many extended lifetimes.
Another inspirational figure was Veeru Kohli, who after escaping from a bonded labour camp in 1998, devoted her whole life to helping those in bondage. Establishing her NGO Azaad Nagar, she helped free nearly 4,000 bonded workers across Sindh. In 2009, she received the Frederick Douglass Freedom Award. These crusading souls, not the maleficent that are their masters and enablers, are the shining light that defines the dream that was Pakistan.
The writer is a freelance contributor. He can be reached at: miradnanazizgmail.com