Child labor is an issue of growing concern in Afghanistan. Child labor includes working children who are below a certain minimum age. This practice is going on since long and is one of the worst forms of child exploitation. According to recent estimates, one in four Afghan children aged 7 to 14 is engaged in some form of work. The data explores the factors that influence decision-making at the household level. The decision to send children to work is influenced by a combination of factors. Poverty is an obvious contextual factor that dominates the decision-making of all households in the study. In addition, household composition and gender norms affect the availability of labor resources, which can result in the need to send children to work.

Child labor victims in Afghanistan mostly work in illegal remote mines and other sources for at least 12 hours a day since mining a major source of income for poor families, they then force their children into it for money, food and other basic commodities. Child labor is most concentrated in Asia and Africa, which together account for more than 90 percent of total child employment. Though there are more child workers in Asia than anywhere else, a higher percentage of African children participate in the labor force.

According to statistics provided by UNICEF, there are an estimated 250 million children aged 5 to 14 years employed in child labor worldwide and this figure is continuously increasing. This evil is not only affecting under-developed and developing countries, but developed countries are also facing this though the rate is comparatively very less. Child labor in Asia accounts for the highest percentage of child labor (61%) followed by Africa (32%). According to International Labor Organization (ILO), if child labor will be banned and all children get proper education, world’s total income would be raised by nearly 22% over 20 years, which accounts for more than $4 trillion. Banning child labor will help in boosting he economy of a country.

The findings were drawn from interviews with 33 poor households in both urban and rural settings Kabul province, including Kabul city and other community in Paghman; Herat province, including Herat city and a community near the Islam Qala border with Iran; and a rural village in Badakhshan province. In addition, researchers consulted stakeholders from the Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Martyrs and Disabled (MoLSAMD), national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and United Nations agencies in developing policy and program recommendations.

Eliminating child labor is one of the biggest challenges that the whole world is facing now. Child labor not only causes damage to a child’s physical and mental health but also keep him deprived of his basic rights to education, development and freedom. Learning of aforementioned statistics, the government of Afghanistan must take immediate steps for alleviating the child labor on war footing.