Modern-day slavery

Behind the manicured lawns of Pakistan’s elite housing societies and the gleam of luxury sedans lies a brutal, often invisible truth: modern-day slavery.

Domestic workers, security guards, drivers and daily wage labourers live and work under harsh conditions, deprived of legal rights, fair wages and basic human dignity. This systemic exploitation is not an aberration but a feature of a political economy that rewards wealth, impunity, and inherited privilege.

In Islamabad’s F-sectors, Karachi’s Clifton and DHA, and Lahore’s Cantt and Gulberg, elite families live in comfort, often guarded and served by individuals earning below-minimum wages. While provincial laws set minimum wages at around Rs32,000 per month (2023–24), many domestic workers are paid as little as Rs10,000–15,000. Most are hired without formal contracts, denied social security, and subjected to arbitrary work hours that routinely stretch to 12–16 hours a day.

These violations are rarely reported. When they are, it is often because the violence has crossed an unignorable threshold.

Tayyaba (Islamabad, 2016-17): A 10-year-old maid employed by a sitting judge was found beaten, starved and locked in a storeroom. The case only gained traction after her injuries went viral on social media. Legal justice, however, remained elusive due to out-of-court settlements and systemic inertia.

Uzma Bibi (Islamabad, 2019): Tortured to death at the age of 16 over a theft accusation. Her employers initially claimed illness. The legal battle that followed revealed just how difficult it is for the poor to pursue justice against the powerful.

Fatima Phuriro (Ranipur, Sindh, 2023): A 10-year-old girl employed at a local Pir’s haveli died after extreme torture. Leaked CCTV footage showed her in agony days before her death. The incident highlighted a broader culture of feudal impunity and child domestic labour.

Karachi maid abuse (2021): An underage maid was reportedly confined to a bathroom for several days by her employers. Though shocking, such incidents are not rare. Most never come to light.

Victims’ families are often pressured into silence. Police may refuse to register FIRs, or push for ‘compromises’. Even when provincial laws or the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act of 1992 apply, enforcement is lax and legal processes slow.

After long shifts, workers return to the shadows: squatter settlements like Orangi and Machar Colony in Karachi, or France Colony in Islamabad. These unregulated areas, home to the labouring poor, lack access to clean water, sanitation, reliable electricity or healthcare.

Forced evictions are common. Under the guise of “development” or “beautification,” state authorities frequently demolish these settlements to make way for malls or gated communities. No compensation. No alternative housing. The state protects the interests of developers, not dwellers.

Pakistan’s elite wealth is not purely earned; it is often the product of systemic extraction. Black money, tax evasion, land grabbing and speculative real estate schemes form the bedrock of this wealth. Expansive housing projects rise on contested land. Labourers, many of them minors, construct these luxury towers under exploitative conditions. Guards and cleaners work in the same buildings they could never afford to live in.

‘Charity’ during Ramazan or token acts of religious giving are often brandished as a moral shield by the elite. But wage theft, physical abuse and class apartheid persist year-round.

Pakistan is increasingly divided – not just economically but socially and morally. One half enjoys uninterrupted power, imported groceries, and foreign holidays. The other half, trapped in precarity, sells their time, strength and sometimes their children into servitude.

Domestic workers are often patronisingly told they are ‘part of the family’, even as they are denied basic privacy, proper meals or days off. Many are forbidden from using the same crockery or sitting at the same table as their employers.

No country can claim moral or developmental progress while systematically dehumanising its workers. Pakistan needs urgent, systemic reform – not more platitudes. These include: one, enforceable legal protections: mandatory contracts, minimum wage enforcement, regulated work hours, and paid leave for all domestic workers. The Punjab Domestic Workers Act (2019) should be expanded and effectively implemented nationwide.

Two, fast-track justice: establish labour tribunals for cases of abuse and wage theft. Provide free legal aid to workers. Ensure that police register FIRs without bias or pressure.

Three, end elite impunity: prosecute abusive employers, regardless of wealth or influence. Set legal precedents with exemplary punishments for torture and illegal confinement.

Four, housing and social security: protect katchi abadis from forced demolition. Provide relocation options. Create pension and healthcare programs for informal workers.

Five, societal awakening: launch national campaigns to educate employers and empower workers. Civil society, media, and educational institutions must challenge the normalisation of servitude.

Six, clean up the economy: crack down on money laundering, tax evasion, and real estate speculation. Redistribute wealth through progressive taxation and invest in worker welfare.

We must stop romanticising the ‘resilience’ of the poor and instead start demanding justice for them. Pakistan does not merely suffer from inequality; it suffers from a moral crisis. A republic cannot survive while functioning as a plantation. It’s time to move beyond token acts of charity and demand structural dignity.

Until domestic workers and labourers are treated as full citizens – with rights, protections and respect – Pakistan’s democracy will remain hollow, and its future unjust.

The writer is an expert on climate change and sustainable development and the founder of the Clifton Urban Forest. He tweets/posts @masoodlohar and can be reached at: mlohar@gmail.com