• Samiullah, who says he is 14 years old, washes dishes at a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Samiullah, who says he is 14 years old, washes dishes at a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • A truck drives past a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    A truck drives past a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Donkeys stand at the entrance of a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. The donkeys make around 20 trips per day carrying sacks weighing about 20kg each. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Donkeys stand at the entrance of a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. The donkeys make around 20 trips per day carrying sacks weighing about 20kg each. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • A miner cooks roti after finishing his shift at a coal mine in Punjab, where nearly 60 per cent of Pakistan's working children are found. Sara Farid / Reuters
    A miner cooks roti after finishing his shift at a coal mine in Punjab, where nearly 60 per cent of Pakistan's working children are found. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • A miner covered in coal dust sits inside a mine in Choa Saidan Shah. Workers at this mine dig coal with pick axes, break it up and load it onto donkeys to be transported to the surface. Sara Farid / Reuters
    A miner covered in coal dust sits inside a mine in Choa Saidan Shah. Workers at this mine dig coal with pick axes, break it up and load it onto donkeys to be transported to the surface. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • A miner performs afternoon prayers at a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    A miner performs afternoon prayers at a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Miners on a break watch TV in a room at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Miners on a break watch TV in a room at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Samiullah, who says he is 14 years old, carries water for his uncle’s bath at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Although Pakistan has introduced legislation to deal with child labour, the problem is deeply entrenched in society. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Samiullah, who says he is 14 years old, carries water for his uncle’s bath at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Although Pakistan has introduced legislation to deal with child labour, the problem is deeply entrenched in society. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Miners rest in their rooms at the end of the day at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Miners rest in their rooms at the end of the day at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • A miner wipes sweat from his forehead inside a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    A miner wipes sweat from his forehead inside a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Hills which contain coal in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab province. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Hills which contain coal in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab province. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Samiullah, who says he is 14-years-old, prepares tea after finishing work at a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Nearly 60 per cent of Pakistan's working children are in Punjab province. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Samiullah, who says he is 14-years-old, prepares tea after finishing work at a coal mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Nearly 60 per cent of Pakistan's working children are in Punjab province. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • Miners pose for a photograph at the coal face inside a mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    Miners pose for a photograph at the coal face inside a mine in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
  • A miner plays cricket in the evening at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters
    A miner plays cricket in the evening at a coal field in Choa Saidan Shah, Punjab. Sara Farid / Reuters

Business

In pictures: Children and donkeys labour in Punjab’s coal mines

Liz Claus

July 31, 2014

  • English
  • Arabic

Punjab’s coal mining industry relies on child labourers and donkeys, where a team of four workers can dig about a tonne of coal a day for which they earn around $10 to be split between them.

EconomyEnergyPakistanSouth Asia