--- description: In Pakistan, tens of thousands of "bonded laborers" work long years of manual labor to pay off their families' debts title: The Pakistani Women Brick-Makers Enslaved By Debt image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2d69e5a93380fd36/6986847255a8594de0a7f973/pakistan-women-brick-layers-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Pakistan](/tag/pakistan/) ## Pakistan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Pakistani Women Brick-Makers Enslaved By Debt by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 8, 2014 7:03 PM CUT  Ghaziya Iqbal, 35, a Pakistani brick factory worker, breast-feeds her child Farman, 9 months old, at the site of her work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, March 2, 2014\. Ghaziya and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500). Ghaziya Iqbal, 35, a Pakistani brick factory worker, breast-feeds her child Farman, 9 months old, at the site of her work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, March 2, 2014\. Ghaziya and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500).Muhammed Muheisen—AP by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 8, 2014 7:03 PM CUT  Ghaziya Iqbal, 35, a Pakistani brick factory worker, breast-feeds her child Farman, 9 months old, at the site of her work on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, March 2, 2014\. Ghaziya and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 250,000 rupees (approximately $2500). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Navila Shirali, 17, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 5, 2014\. Navila's father is in debt to his employer the amount of 500,000 rupees (approximately $5000). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  With her son Adil, 6, who suffers from a fever, sleeping on the ground wrapped with a shawl, Najma Shahid, 25, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Najma and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 80,000 rupees (approximately $800). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Rubina Rafaqat, 22, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture with her child at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 3, 2014\. Rubina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 200,000 rupees (approximately $2000). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Khurshid Mumtaz, 25, a Pakistani brick factory worker, comforts her crying daughter Haima, 4, while posing for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 2, 2014\. Khurshid and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 194,000 rupees (approximately $1940). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Raina Anwar, 24, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 5, 2014\. Raina and her husband are in debt to their employer the amount of 190,000 rupees (approximately $1900). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Naila Liyaqat, 16, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 5, 2014\. Naila's father is in debt to his employer the amount of 300,000 rupees (approximately $3000). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Sofia Zahour, 25, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture as standing next to her daughter Alina, 2, at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 5, 2014\. Sofia and her husband are in debt for their employer the amount of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4000). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Emna Mohammed, 65, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 5, 2014\. Emna inherited her late husband's debt to the employer the amount of 95,000 rupees (approximately $950). Muhammed Muheisen—AP  Amna Bhatti, 60, a Pakistani brick factory worker, poses for a picture at the site of her work in Mandra, near Rawalpindi, Pakistan, March 2, 2014\. Amna is in debt to her employer the amount of 150,000 rupees (approximately $1,500). Muhammed Muheisen—AP ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/16225/the-pakistani-women-brick-makers-enslaved-by-debt/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/16225/the-pakistani-women-brick-makers-enslaved-by-debt/"},"headline":"The Pakistani Women Brick-Makers Enslaved By Debt","datePublished":"2014-03-08T19:03:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:36.382Z","description":"Tens of thousands of \"bonded laborers\" in Pakistan work hard labor for decades to pay off debts accrued by their husbands or parents. 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