In Pakistan, millions are trapped in modern-day slavery at brick kilns, working dangerous jobs to pay off snowballing debts

Isaiah Reynolds,Olivia Nemec,Havovi Cooper,Kashif KhanApr 15, 2023, 21:25 IST

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

In Pakistan, families are forced to make over 1,500 bricks a day to repay loans from the kiln owners.
However, they are not told how much they owe, how long they must work, or how much interest is being attached to their loans.

In the Thar desert of Pakistan, generations of families are trapped in debt bondage, forced to work for years in brick kilns to repay loans from the kiln owners.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Facing brutal working conditions, including temperatures that can reach upward of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, around 150 families work every day to hand over their quota of 1,500 bricks to the kiln owners.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Facing brutal working conditions, including temperatures that can reach upward of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, around 150 families work every day to hand over their quota of 1,500 bricks to the kiln owners.

Earning low wages, they have to keep borrowing money from the wealthy owners just to survive.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Poonjo Meghwar, a brick kiln worker, believes he still owes about $560 dollars from a loan he borrowed years ago to pay hospital bills.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

The process of making bricks is laborious and physically exhausting. First, one must accumulate enough dirt to mix with water.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Then, the mud is kneaded until it becomes clay.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Donkeys are used to transport nearly 5,000 bricks from the plots to the fire kiln every day.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Workers stack the bricks in underground ovens where they bake for days, usually over a month. The kilns are estimated to reach nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

The kilns are covered with sand and gaps are filled with wood. Kiln workers risk their lives with the threat of cave-ins .

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Once the bricks are fully prepared, construction sites use them for everything from building houses to supporting bridges and canals.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

In addition to the extreme heat, breathing in dust, and exposure to carbon monoxide and sulfur can result in death, especially among children.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Child labor, which is illegal in Pakistan, also runs rampant at brick kilns.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

What's happening at the brick kilns falls under the legal definition of debt bondage, which was outlawed in Pakistan's constitution in 1992.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Despite media evidence and reports, the Department of Labor in the Sindh province claims debt bondage can't be proven because there are no official records that the families or children work there.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Despite media evidence and reports, the Department of Labor in the Sindh province claims debt bondage can't be proven because there are no official records that the families or children work there.

Zahid Thebo works with Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, or SPARC, to monitor child labor at brick kilns. The NGO works to bring the cases for families stuck in bondage to court and has successfully helped free over 17,000 workers.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Zahid Thebo works with Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, or SPARC, to monitor child labor at brick kilns. The NGO works to bring the cases for families stuck in bondage to court and has successfully helped free over 17,000 workers.

Once released, the families have the option to move to a camp called Azad Nagar, which means "Free City." There, the families are able to earn wages by working at a kiln, but they do not owe anyone any money.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Once released, the families have the option to move to a camp called Azad Nagar, which means "Free City." There, the families are able to earn wages by working at a kiln, but they do not owe anyone any money.

Many of the Azad Nagar residents say they feel lucky to have escaped the cycle of debt bondage. However, the camp has no running water or operating schools for children. The organization has appealed to the government for funding.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Many of the Azad Nagar residents say they feel lucky to have escaped the cycle of debt bondage. However, the camp has no running water or operating schools for children. The organization has appealed to the government for funding.

"There is so much oppression. They wouldn't pay wages. They would lock us up in the kiln owner's office and beat us up," recalled Pannu Faqeer, an Azad Nagar resident who has been freed from debt bondage for over 20 years.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

"There is so much oppression. They wouldn't pay wages. They would lock us up in the kiln owner's office and beat us up," recalled Pannu Faqeer, an Azad Nagar resident who has been freed from debt bondage for over 20 years.

Now Pannu works with SPARC by traveling with other workers if they receive a court date. He still faces threats from kiln owners and was attacked during a workers' rights protest in 2013.

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

Now Pannu works with SPARC by traveling with other workers if they receive a court date. He still faces threats from kiln owners and was attacked during a workers' rights protest in 2013.

"We are free here because we are in this colony," Pannu said "If we were at the kiln, then we would have faced restrictions."

Bilawal Bhatti and Maqbool Ahmed

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In Pakistan, millions are trapped in modern-day slavery at brick kilns, working dangerous jobs to pay off snowballing debts

In the Thar desert of Pakistan, generations of families are trapped in debt bondage, forced to work for years in brick kilns to repay loans from the kiln owners.

Facing brutal working conditions, including temperatures that can reach upward of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, around 150 families work every day to hand over their quota of 1,500 bricks to the kiln owners.

Earning low wages, they have to keep borrowing money from the wealthy owners just to survive.

Poonjo Meghwar, a brick kiln worker, believes he still owes about $560 dollars from a loan he borrowed years ago to pay hospital bills.

The process of making bricks is laborious and physically exhausting. First, one must accumulate enough dirt to mix with water.

Then, the mud is kneaded until it becomes clay.

Donkeys are used to transport nearly 5,000 bricks from the plots to the fire kiln every day.

Workers stack the bricks in underground ovens where they bake for days, usually over a month. The kilns are estimated to reach nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

The kilns are covered with sand and gaps are filled with wood. Kiln workers risk their lives with the threat of cave-ins .

Once the bricks are fully prepared, construction sites use them for everything from building houses to supporting bridges and canals.

In addition to the extreme heat, breathing in dust, and exposure to carbon monoxide and sulfur can result in death, especially among children.

Child labor, which is illegal in Pakistan, also runs rampant at brick kilns.

What's happening at the brick kilns falls under the legal definition of debt bondage, which was outlawed in Pakistan's constitution in 1992.

Despite media evidence and reports, the Department of Labor in the Sindh province claims debt bondage can't be proven because there are no official records that the families or children work there.

Zahid Thebo works with Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, or SPARC, to monitor child labor at brick kilns. The NGO works to bring the cases for families stuck in bondage to court and has successfully helped free over 17,000 workers.

Once released, the families have the option to move to a camp called Azad Nagar, which means "Free City." There, the families are able to earn wages by working at a kiln, but they do not owe anyone any money.

Many of the Azad Nagar residents say they feel lucky to have escaped the cycle of debt bondage. However, the camp has no running water or operating schools for children. The organization has appealed to the government for funding.

"There is so much oppression. They wouldn't pay wages. They would lock us up in the kiln owner's office and beat us up," recalled Pannu Faqeer, an Azad Nagar resident who has been freed from debt bondage for over 20 years.

Now Pannu works with SPARC by traveling with other workers if they receive a court date. He still faces threats from kiln owners and was attacked during a workers' rights protest in 2013.

"We are free here because we are in this colony," Pannu said "If we were at the kiln, then we would have faced restrictions."