Speakers at a seminar on Friday called for effective enforcement of laws against bonded labour, forced labour and child labour, particularly at brick kilns.
Addressing the seminar marking Freedom Day 2026, Bonded Labour Liberation Front (BLLF) General Secretary Syeda Ghulam Fatima said the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling against debt-based bonded labour must translate into practical freedom for workers at their workplaces.
She said brick-kiln workers continued to face debt bondage, low wages, poverty, child labour and limited access to justice despite existing legal protections.
Punjab Labour and Human Resource Director General Syeda Kulsoom Hayee said the government was working to address the issue through written employment contracts, worker registration and social protection measures. She said around 7,000 brick-kiln workers had been registered and 5,000 children would be enrolled in schools.
She added that workers would be provided identity cards and urged them to retain copies of employment contracts. The government would also work to ensure realistic work targets and prevent the employment of children under 18, she said.
MPA Amjad Ali Javed said social security had been introduced for brick-kiln workers and pledged to raise their concerns with the Punjab chief minister.
Mahar Safdar Ali called for stronger complaint mechanisms and protection for workers who report exploitation. He said such workers should not face eviction, threats, violence, dismissal or other forms of retaliation, adding that functioning labour unions at brick kilns could provide workers with a collective platform to raise grievances.
Bushra Khaliq praised Syeda Ghulam Fatima for her longstanding struggle for brick-kiln workers and said freedom could not be meaningful without rights at the workplace.
“Working in chains is not freedom, and bonded labour involving entire families cannot be considered freedom,” she said, stressing the need for collective action and continued vigilance.
Rashida Qureshi said child labour remained a concern at brick kilns and highlighted health issues and harassment among workers’ problems. She called for greater enrolment of brick-kiln workers’ children in schools.
Rehana Fazal of the Punjab Social Protection Authority said the authority was extending protection to people through various initiatives and that a Punjab Socio-Economic Survey was underway. She said labourers would also be included in the survey.
The BLLF demanded the implementation of the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1992, regulation of advance-payment practices, payment of minimum wages, written wage records, stronger labour inspections and enforcement of child-labour laws.
It also called for functioning District Vigilance Committees, free legal assistance, protection for workers reporting exploitation, trade union rights, workplace safety and access to education, healthcare, sanitation and social protection for brick-kiln families.
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