EXPLORING PSYCHOLOGICAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE IN CHILDREN WORKING AS LABORERS IN MECHANIC WORKSHOPS IN PAKISTAN

Abstract

Background. Child labor in Pakistan's informal automobile mechanic workshops remains a critical human rights concern. This qualitative study examined the lived experiences of seven child laborers (ages 13-17) in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Method. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. The study was guided by interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) grounded in constructivist epistemology and a rights-based approach.

Results. Five primary themes emerged: (1) economic compulsion as entry driver; (2) interrupted education and foreclosed futures; (3) physical hazards and absent safety protections; (4) psychological harm through systematic abuse; and (5) social isolation despite adaptive resilience. Children uniformly attributed labor entry to family economic collapse rather than choice, with injuries normalized and specific aspirations systematically foreclosed.

Conclusion. Findings demonstrate that child labor emerges from structural poverty and family disintegration, not individual deficiency. Effective intervention requires simultaneous, coordinated action across poverty reduction, education access, mental health support, and enforcement reform, combined with the amplification of children's own voices.