Little 12-year old Asif, on his way to work on the back of his brother’s bicycle, helps make some of the world’s surgical instruments. He is at the bottom end of a supply chain worth 30 billion dollars a year, producing instruments for hospitals, doctor’s rooms and beauty parlours across the globe.

His workshop may sell a surgical scissor for about $27 which then can be sold through a string of middlemen on the international market for up to $143. But little of that profit trickles back to Sialkot, Pakistan where Asif has been working since the age of seven.

His workshop may sell a surgical scissor for about $27 which then can be sold through a string of middlemen on the international market for up to $143. But little of that profit trickles back to Sialkot, Pakistan where Asif has been working since the age of seven.

Asif

I am doing it because I have to pay off some debts. I found it dangerous when I first started but now I have learnt the job. I no longer find it dangerous.

Benyameen

The moment a child gets into the workplace, he just jumps from his childhood to an adult. He simply becomes an adult. But his mental growth is not as natural as a child. So what happens, he is a child, but he is doing the things which adults are doing. So that to me, I say again, it is criminal.

To help repay debt incurred by his father, Asif works on 600 pieces a day, filing and grinding and exposing himself to hazards not even an adult would tolerate. One of the more long term health risks is the constant exposure to fine metal dust which damages the eyes and causes breathing problems, not to mention cuts and burns from various machines. But the greatest danger is intangible.

Asif

I am doing it because I have to pay off some debts. I found it dangerous when I first started but now I have learnt the job. I no longer find it dangerous.

Benyameen

The moment a child gets into the workplace, he just jumps from his childhood to an adult. He simply becomes an adult. But his mental growth is not as natural as a child. So what happens, he is a child, but he is doing the things which adults are doing. So that to me, I say again, it is criminal.

To help repay debt incurred by his father, Asif works on 600 pieces a day, filing and grinding and exposing himself to hazards not even an adult would tolerate. One of the more long term health risks is the constant exposure to fine metal dust which damages the eyes and causes breathing problems, not to mention cuts and burns from various machines. But the greatest danger is intangible.

Benyameen

The moment a child gets into the workplace, he just jumps from his childhood to an adult. He simply becomes an adult. But his mental growth is not as natural as a child. So what happens, he is a child, but he is doing the things which adults are doing. So that to me, I say again, it is criminal.

To help repay debt incurred by his father, Asif works on 600 pieces a day, filing and grinding and exposing himself to hazards not even an adult would tolerate. One of the more long term health risks is the constant exposure to fine metal dust which damages the eyes and causes breathing problems, not to mention cuts and burns from various machines. But the greatest danger is intangible.

To help repay debt incurred by his father, Asif works on 600 pieces a day, filing and grinding and exposing himself to hazards not even an adult would tolerate. One of the more long term health risks is the constant exposure to fine metal dust which damages the eyes and causes breathing problems, not to mention cuts and burns from various machines. But the greatest danger is intangible.

The number of children has been identified and the children have been identified, we know where are the areas of concentration, and we can definitely make it free of child labour.

The number of children has been identified and the children have been identified, we know where are the areas of concentration, and we can definitely make it free of child labour.

In 1999 the surgical manufacturers industry in Sialkot decided to remove all children from this dangerous work. But immediate withdrawal would mean a disastrous loss of income for families already mired in poverty and a risk that parents would put their children into even more hazardous work. So the International Labour Organization opted for a gradual approach: they helped establish non-formal education centres. For two hours every afternoon, children like Asif go to this special school, taking classes and interacting with children their own age. Like this they still earn money every day, while catching up on their education.

In 1999 the surgical manufacturers industry in Sialkot decided to remove all children from this dangerous work. But immediate withdrawal would mean a disastrous loss of income for families already mired in poverty and a risk that parents would put their children into even more hazardous work. So the International Labour Organization opted for a gradual approach: they helped establish non-formal education centres. For two hours every afternoon, children like Asif go to this special school, taking classes and interacting with children their own age. Like this they still earn money every day, while catching up on their education.

The ILO hopes to reach this target by ensuring that no new children are recruited into the industry and that working children continue with their classes until adulthood. The biggest challenge however will still come from families struggling to survive - until perhaps more educated sons like Asif help turn their situation around.

The ILO hopes to reach this target by ensuring that no new children are recruited into the industry and that working children continue with their classes until adulthood. The biggest challenge however will still come from families struggling to survive - until perhaps more educated sons like Asif help turn their situation around.