Amid worsening economic conditions, approximately 8,000 children in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province are engaged in toiling in brick kilns in the Surkh Rud district and Torkham town.
In one such kiln, seven-year-old Zainab works tirelessly alongside her family, shaping bricks with her small hands. Despite her harsh reality, her heart holds on to the hope of education. “Education is my dream. I want to grow up and serve the people,” Zainab says. Yet, her aspirations are overshadowed by the heavy burden of her family’s economic challenges.
Every morning, Zainab leaves her home with her father, Gul Jan, and two brothers to work long hours at the kiln. Gul Jan, a 45-year-old father, explains that the family’s financial struggles forced him to involve his children in labor. “I started working with my children because I have no choice,” he says. “I need to pay off the loan I took from the kiln owner and cover other household expenses.”
Gul Jan adds that his plight is not unique. “Hundreds of other families like mine are forced to work with their children in the brick kilns of Surkh Rud. We need help from the government and aid organizations to give our children a chance at education.”
According to the Nangarhar Department of Labor and Social Affairs, 7,693 children are currently involved in hard labor in Surkh Rud district and Torkham town alone.
Experts stress the need for a comprehensive strategy to safeguard children’s rights and alleviate economic hardships for families. Without sustainable measures, generations of children risk being trapped in cycles of poverty and illiteracy.
Amid the smoke-filled kilns, Zainab dreams not just for herself, but for a society where children like her can learn in classrooms instead of laboring under the weight of bricks. Granting children access to education, experts argue, is not just an investment in their future but a cornerstone for Afghanistan’s development.
The path to a brighter future remains steep and uncertain in Afghanistan, where thousands of children continue to bear the heavy burden of survival.
Across Afghanistan, tens of thousands of children are engaged in labor in brick kilns, a common form of work for families struggling with extreme poverty.
While exact nationwide figures are difficult to obtain due to limited data and ongoing conflict, estimates suggest that thousands of children, particularly in provinces like Nangarhar, Kabul, and Balkh, spend their days working in hazardous conditions instead of attending school. In Nangarhar’s two districts alone, nearly 8,000 children are employed in brick kilns, highlighting the widespread prevalence of child labor in these facilities.
Many of these children are forced into this work to help their families repay debts to kiln owners or to meet basic household expenses, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and deprivation.
