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Bricks and Burning Childhoods

by Luca Catalano Gonzaga

Bricks and Burning Childhoods

Pakistan, 2025

Bhaktapur, Nepal - 2018

Sweat and Dust

Bhaktapur, Nepal - 2018

Life in the furnace

Afghanistan, Mazar-i Sharif - 2016

Brick by brick

Varanasi - India - 2017

The dark side of India

Katmandu, Nepal - 2009

Worldless children

Brick kilns in the heart of Islamabad pose a serious threat to both the environment and children. These facilities often burn highly polluting fuels such as old tires and low-grade coal, releasing toxic substances into the air including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides which cause severe respiratory problems. Thousands of children are forced to work in brick kilns, an industry that exploits their physical strength while denying them the chance to build a better future. Although child labor is illegal in Pakistan, extreme poverty and the lack of effective oversight allow this practice to persist with impunity. Many of these minors begin working as early as six years old, spending their days surrounded by dust, unbearable heat, and toxic smoke, with no protection. They mold bricks, carry heavy loads, and labor under the scorching sun. Many work side by side with their parents, trapped in a cycle of debt that passes from one generation to the next. Kiln owners often offer families loans, compelling them to work in order to repay the debt, yet the amount owed only continues to grow, becoming nearly impossible to pay off. This system of “debt bondage” forces children to give up their childhoods to support the family income, depriving them of access to education and the opportunities that could change their future. Estimates suggest that over 2 million children are employed in brick kilns across Pakistan, most of them living in extreme poverty, where hunger is the only alternative to labor. A lack of education, limited healthcare, and the constant risk of injury make these kilns among the most dangerous environments for children. This reportage was made possible thanks to the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), a Pakistani non-governmental organization that fights for children’s rights. Their efforts have brought to light a reality too often hidden in the shadows, exposing the serious violations endured by thousands of minors forced to work in kilns, sacrificing their childhoods and their futures. (Text by Luca Catalano Gonzaga).

Islamabad, Pakistan. Children employed in a brick kiln carry heavy loads under the scorching sun. The scene bears witness to harsh child labor, where entire families, including the youngest, are involved in brick production as a means of survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Children employed in a brick kiln carry heavy loads under the scorching sun. The scene bears witness to harsh child labor, where entire families, including the youngest, are involved in brick production as a means of survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Hands covered in mud and faces bent over their work. The exhausting physical labor, often carried out without protection and under the sun, involves children in conditions of extreme vulnerability.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Hands covered in mud and faces bent over their work. The exhausting physical labor, often carried out without protection and under the sun, involves children in conditions of extreme vulnerability.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Two children carry mud blocks in a brick kiln. Their torn clothes and focused faces tell a story of early hardship and denied rights, in a context where child labor is often a necessity imposed by poverty.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Two children carry mud blocks in a brick kiln. Their torn clothes and focused faces tell a story of early hardship and denied rights, in a context where child labor is often a necessity imposed by poverty.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child, armed with a hoe bigger than himself, works mixing mud in a brick kiln. The scene, dramatic in its everydayness, reveals the harsh reality of child labor, where childhood is sacrificed on the altar of survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child, armed with a hoe bigger than himself, works mixing mud in a brick kiln. The scene, dramatic in its everydayness, reveals the harsh reality of child labor, where childhood is sacrificed on the altar of survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young girl leans against a pile of mud, silently watching the adults at work. In this open-air brick kiln, innocence blends with toil, in an environment where play is a luxury and childhood flows between dust and sweat.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young girl leans against a pile of mud, silently watching the adults at work. In this open-air brick kiln, innocence blends with toil, in an environment where play is a luxury and childhood flows between dust and sweat.
Islamabad, Pakistan. He clutches a block of clay in his arms as if it were a toy, but in his eyes is the seriousness of someone who stopped being a child too soon.
Islamabad, Pakistan. He clutches a block of clay in his arms as if it were a toy, but in his eyes is the seriousness of someone who stopped being a child too soon.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With hands stained by earth and a face veiled in dust, a young girl works among endless rows of bricks. Her eyes closed, perhaps from the sun, perhaps from the weight of a reality that repeats every day, tell of a deep weariness, made of silence and resignation.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With hands stained by earth and a face veiled in dust, a young girl works among endless rows of bricks. Her eyes closed, perhaps from the sun, perhaps from the weight of a reality that repeats every day, tell of a deep weariness, made of silence and resignation.
Islamabad, Pakistan. In the silence broken only by the dry sound of bricks, two men pass on the burden of labor. Every movement is precise, repeated, necessary: a human chain of sweat and dust, where the strength of the individual merges into the collective rhythm of work.
Islamabad, Pakistan. In the silence broken only by the dry sound of bricks, two men pass on the burden of labor. Every movement is precise, repeated, necessary: a human chain of sweat and dust, where the strength of the individual merges into the collective rhythm of work.
Islamabad, Pakistan. An entire community revolves around the bricks: men, children, and animals move in sync on this chessboard of dust and toil.
Islamabad, Pakistan. An entire community revolves around the bricks: men, children, and animals move in sync on this chessboard of dust and toil.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Tense muscles and worn hands push the weight of a life made of bricks. Around them, other bodies move, each locked into the mechanical rhythm of daily labor.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Tense muscles and worn hands push the weight of a life made of bricks. Around them, other bodies move, each locked into the mechanical rhythm of daily labor.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Shrouded in a cloud of fine, toxic dust, a worker drags a load of bricks into the heart of the kiln. The air is unbearable: every breath deposits harmful particles into the lungs, causing serious respiratory diseases like silicosis. Protection is absent, and daily toil slowly turns into poison.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Shrouded in a cloud of fine, toxic dust, a worker drags a load of bricks into the heart of the kiln. The air is unbearable: every breath deposits harmful particles into the lungs, causing serious respiratory diseases like silicosis. Protection is absent, and daily toil slowly turns into poison.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A worker lifts bricks surrounded by a cloud of dust: every movement releases fine particles loaded with silica and other harmful substances that infiltrate the lungs.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A worker lifts bricks surrounded by a cloud of dust: every movement releases fine particles loaded with silica and other harmful substances that infiltrate the lungs.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With a broad and measured gesture, the worker drives the shovel into the scorching ground: his tense body conveys the full strain of an exhausting and repetitive task.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With a broad and measured gesture, the worker drives the shovel into the scorching ground: his tense body conveys the full strain of an exhausting and repetitive task.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With a broad and measured gesture, the worker pushes the shovel into the scorching ground: his tense body tells the story of exhausting, repetitive labor.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With a broad and measured gesture, the worker pushes the shovel into the scorching ground: his tense body tells the story of exhausting, repetitive labor.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Pushing wheelbarrows loaded to the limit, the workers move hundreds of bricks a day: every step weighs as much as the load, in a relentless rhythm of toil.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Pushing wheelbarrows loaded to the limit, the workers move hundreds of bricks a day: every step weighs as much as the load, in a relentless rhythm of toil.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Slowly, the cart moves under the weight of the bricks. Man and horse united by the same silent toil, along a path that knows no respite.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Slowly, the cart moves under the weight of the bricks. Man and horse united by the same silent toil, along a path that knows no respite.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Under the weight of the bricks, tireless hands pass on the burden of labor. The brightly painted truck does not hide the harshness of the work.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Under the weight of the bricks, tireless hands pass on the burden of labor. The brightly painted truck does not hide the harshness of the work.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With a broad and measured gesture, the worker drives the shovel into the scorching ground: his tense body conveys the full strain of an exhausting and repetitive task.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With a broad and measured gesture, the worker drives the shovel into the scorching ground: his tense body conveys the full strain of an exhausting and repetitive task.
Islamabad, Pakistan. In a line, brick by brick, the young workers form a human chain.
Islamabad, Pakistan. In a line, brick by brick, the young workers form a human chain.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The children in the brick kilns not only work, but grow up deprived of their right to childhood.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The children in the brick kilns not only work, but grow up deprived of their right to childhood.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Amidst hanging fabrics and worn-out mattresses, the shacks become home for entire families working in the brick kilns.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Amidst hanging fabrics and worn-out mattresses, the shacks become home for entire families working in the brick kilns.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A barefoot girl wanders among the makeshift shacks, a symbol of a stolen childhood. In these settlements, the youngest live on the margins, exposed to deprivation and hard labor from their earliest years.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A barefoot girl wanders among the makeshift shacks, a symbol of a stolen childhood. In these settlements, the youngest live on the margins, exposed to deprivation and hard labor from their earliest years.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Even in the tenderest childhood, environmental and social hardships are reflected in the face and demeanor, telling a harsh reality that is hard to look away from.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Even in the tenderest childhood, environmental and social hardships are reflected in the face and demeanor, telling a harsh reality that is hard to look away from.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Surrounded by walls of still-raw bricks, a kneeling girl works silently. Her steady, intense gaze speaks of early hardship and responsibilities forced upon her too soon.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Surrounded by walls of still-raw bricks, a kneeling girl works silently. Her steady, intense gaze speaks of early hardship and responsibilities forced upon her too soon.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With small but already strong hands, a girl pushes a wheelbarrow. No play, no rest: only the weight of early survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With small but already strong hands, a girl pushes a wheelbarrow. No play, no rest: only the weight of early survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young girl plunges her hands into the mud. Her floral dress contrasts with the harshness of the work, creating a visual paradox that tells of the strength and resilience of a childhood broken too soon.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young girl plunges her hands into the mud. Her floral dress contrasts with the harshness of the work, creating a visual paradox that tells of the strength and resilience of a childhood broken too soon.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child, burdened by the weight of daily toil, tries to guide a reluctant horse. In the background, a blackened chimney rises smoke—a silent symbol of a childhood sacrificed to labor and environmental decay
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child, burdened by the weight of daily toil, tries to guide a reluctant horse. In the background, a blackened chimney rises smoke—a silent symbol of a childhood sacrificed to labor and environmental decay
Islamabad, Pakistan. With her hands immersed in mud, a girl shapes bricks under the scorching sun. Her focused face reveals the fatigue and premature responsibility of one who works to survive, while in the background another child pushes a wheelbarrow: a childhood carved out of mud and silence.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With her hands immersed in mud, a girl shapes bricks under the scorching sun. Her focused face reveals the fatigue and premature responsibility of one who works to survive, while in the background another child pushes a wheelbarrow: a childhood carved out of mud and silence.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child carries sun-dried bricks. His thin hands grasp the weight of a stolen childhood.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child carries sun-dried bricks. His thin hands grasp the weight of a stolen childhood.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Under a threatening sky, a barefoot child covers the bricks with a tarp to protect them from the imminent rain. With a focused gaze, he faces a task beyond his years, while the earth prepares for the water and he, in silence, for survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Under a threatening sky, a barefoot child covers the bricks with a tarp to protect them from the imminent rain. With a focused gaze, he faces a task beyond his years, while the earth prepares for the water and he, in silence, for survival.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With all the weight of his body, a child pushes a huge mass of mud for brick production.
Islamabad, Pakistan. With all the weight of his body, a child pushes a huge mass of mud for brick production.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child kneels in the dust, kneading a large mass of mud with bare hands, destined for brick production. This image tells the absurd normality of child exploitation.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child kneels in the dust, kneading a large mass of mud with bare hands, destined for brick production. This image tells the absurd normality of child exploitation.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A crouching girl lifts a fistful of mud, ready to knead it. Her face is tense with a concentrated and serious expression, a silent reflection of a marked childhood.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A crouching girl lifts a fistful of mud, ready to knead it. Her face is tense with a concentrated and serious expression, a silent reflection of a marked childhood.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young girl walks barefoot, clutching a heavy block of mud; her tired face reveals the weight of fatigue.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young girl walks barefoot, clutching a heavy block of mud; her tired face reveals the weight of fatigue.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child raises dust, putting their respiratory health at risk with possible irritation and lung diseases.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A child raises dust, putting their respiratory health at risk with possible irritation and lung diseases.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young female worker carries clumps of mud to make bricks, her gaze proud yet marked by resignation.
Islamabad, Pakistan. A young female worker carries clumps of mud to make bricks, her gaze proud yet marked by resignation.
Islamabad, Pakistan. An elderly worker shapes clumps of mud to make bricks, performing decades-old repetitive motions with tireless dignity.
Islamabad, Pakistan. An elderly worker shapes clumps of mud to make bricks, performing decades-old repetitive motions with tireless dignity.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The kilns are fueled by adding coal, a hard and exhausting task under scorching heat, while the ground around heats up until it becomes blistering hot.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The kilns are fueled by adding coal, a hard and exhausting task under scorching heat, while the ground around heats up until it becomes blistering hot.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Preparation of coal to fuel the kilns used for firing the bricks.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Preparation of coal to fuel the kilns used for firing the bricks.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The kiln owners play cricket just meters away from hundreds of workers struggling to survive.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The kiln owners play cricket just meters away from hundreds of workers struggling to survive.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The kiln owners play cricket just a few meters away from hundreds of workers struggling to survive.
Islamabad, Pakistan. The kiln owners play cricket just a few meters away from hundreds of workers struggling to survive.
Islamabad, Pakistan. In the brick kilns, each worker has a specific task, part of a long chain built on hardship and sacrifice.
Islamabad, Pakistan. In the brick kilns, each worker has a specific task, part of a long chain built on hardship and sacrifice.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Thousands of bricks are dried outdoors, exposed to the sun, in preparation for the next stage of firing in the kilns.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Thousands of bricks are dried outdoors, exposed to the sun, in preparation for the next stage of firing in the kilns.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Child labor in the brick kilns is often used to repay parental debts or to help ensure the survival of the entire family.
Islamabad, Pakistan. Child labor in the brick kilns is often used to repay parental debts or to help ensure the survival of the entire family.
Islamabad, Pakistan. This young worker is tasked with turning thousands of bricks to facilitate their drying in the sun before firing.
Islamabad, Pakistan. This young worker is tasked with turning thousands of bricks to facilitate their drying in the sun before firing.

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