Invisible Justice: Structural and Legal Failures in Safeguarding Disabled Child Labourers across South Asia

Children who have disabilities are themselves a universe of childhoods to be renewed. Even in child labour situations, children with disabilities are among the poorest and most disadvantaged. However, they are little visible in legal and policy frameworks for the Global South. This paper focuses on Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. Despite ratifying Global agreements like the ILO Minimum Age and Worst Forms of Child Labour Conventions, and the CRC and CRPD, it is insufficient for national laws to protect the unique problems experienced by people with disabilities. A systematic analysis of international instruments, national legislation, and policy reports is used to identify four major challenges. These are: legal non-existence, lack of implementation capability, institutional fragmentation, and pervasive shame. This gap between policy and implementation means that children living with disabilities are left vulnerable to dangerous and exploitative labour without effective recourse. This article presents the case for legislation that includes people with disabilities, cohesive institutional mechanisms, and stronger enforcement tools, so that the rights of children with special needs in the workplace can be safeguarded under both human rights law and legal practice. Points of Interest This article addresses how children with disabilities are hidden casualties of child labour and legal neglect in developing nations. It demonstrates how inadequate enforcement, stigma and fragmented systems not only perpetuate their exploitation but also exclude them from protection. · Analyses loopholes in child labour and disability regulations in South Asia. · Reveals lax enforcement and poor institution coordination. · Spotlights stigma and a lack of data about disabled working children. · Covers Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan. · Demands for inclusive laws, strong institutions and improved systems of data collection.