Why Pakistan should empower adolescents to break the cycle of poverty

LAHORE: Economic planners must urgently prioritise adolescents -- around three million of whom join Pakistan’s labour force each year, many without direction, skills, or an understanding of the saturated job market they are entering.

Adolescents are often described as the next generation or the future of the nation. Yet it is equally important to recognise that they are already a part of the present. Many, especially from low-income families, contribute economically and help ease household hardship. However, this energetic human resource is being thrust into a free-market economy without adequate preparation, resulting in disillusionment and exploitation.

This is not merely a missed opportunity -- it is a national failure. Adolescents represent the most physically and mentally dynamic segment of the population. Exposing this raw but highly productive workforce to unregulated market forces without equipping them with skills leads to demotivation and increased vulnerability. The outcome is a disheartened, disengaged workforce.

Adolescents are entitled to state support under several international treaties, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Nearly half of all adolescents are girls, many of whom face even greater challenges due to gender-based discrimination.

Investing in adolescents can serve as a powerful means to combat poverty, inequality, and gender bias. Poverty is often transmitted from one generation to the next -- especially through adolescent girls who, due to limited education and opportunities, give birth to undernourished and disadvantaged children. In rural areas, where most of the poor live, adolescents -- both boys and girls -- lack access to quality education and are unable to develop marketable skills. This skills gap is a key factor behind poor youth employment outcomes.

Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to the intergenerational transmission of poverty. They face educational disadvantages and systemic discrimination, often living in isolation and dependency. Many are pushed into early marriage, with birth rates three times higher than those from wealthier households. These girls are at heightened risk of maternal mortality, poor health outcomes, and child undernutrition. The state must empower them through education, skills training and employment opportunities.

Bangladesh provides a successful example of adolescent empowerment, particularly for girls. Through targeted policies, the country has significantly reduced poverty and brought down the national birth rate to around one percent.

It is crucial that planners adopt a life-cycle approach to development. Greater focus must be placed on the care, empowerment, and protection of adolescents -- especially girls. This is essential to breaking the cycle of poverty and building a stronger, more equitable future.

Just like children, adolescents deserve care, recognition, essential services and opportunities. The state must ensure that they are not rendered invisible but are instead supported and empowered to contribute meaningfully to national development.

Adolescents are not only the future -- they are an active part of today’s economic system. Many from poor backgrounds already contribute to easing the burdens of their families. It is time the state recognised and nurtured their potential.