“They Bear All the Pain”: Hazardous Child Labor in Afghanistan

This report examines child labor in brick kilns, carpets, and metal works. It is based on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources, including 25 interviews with child workers, their parents, and employers. Between July 2015 and January 2016, Human Rights Watch interviewed 15 male and female child laborers and 10 parents and employers in various locations in Bamiyan and Kabul. The children were all between the ages of 5 and 16 when we spoke with them. Human Rights Watch did not preselect the child workers. All interviews were voluntary and were conducted in Dari or Pashto. Interviewees did not receive compensation for providing their accounts. The report uses the interviewees’ real names. Human Rights Watch also interviewed Afghan and American government officials, staff of nongovernmental organizations, UN officials, experts, teachers, members of the Afghan parliament, and journalists. These interviews were conducted in-person, over the phone or through email.