Socio-economic Causes of Child Labor in Balochistan: An Analytical Study with Special Focus on Rag-Picking Girls of Quetta City

Abstract

This study focuses on rag-picking girls in Quetta, Balochistan, and examines the socioeconomic factors that contribute to child labor. Twelve rag-picking girls chosen through purposive sampling participated in semi-structured interviews as part of a descriptive and qualitative study design. The results show that the main causes of young girls engaging in rag-picking are poverty, unemployment, parental illiteracy, big family size, and parental carelessness.  Participants also emphasized the problems of social stigma and isolation, which serve to further perpetuate cycles of labor and poverty. The study comes to the conclusion that systemic socioeconomic disparities are at the heart of child labor in Quetta.