Zakir Azad

Alamin and Alauddin are two brothers. Thirteen-year-old Alamin is two years older than Alauddin. Both of them have worked in an automobile workshop in Comilla city for almost a year, but they have not received their wages. Depressed Alamin says angrily that when he asked the owner, he said, ‘First learn the job. If you can’t work, what is the salary?’ ‘I go at 9 am. I come home at 2 am. I work for a year. He doesn’t give me a single penny. Do you see that we are worthless?’ 

Twelve-year-old Anika. She lives with her family in a slum in Dhaka. Instead of waking up early to go to school, she rushes to a garment factory near her home, joining hundreds of other children who, like her, operate sewing machines or sort clothes. When her shift ends in the evening after hours of work, she is exhausted, every part of her body aching. Her parents, despite their suffering, send her to work because her meager earnings make a huge contribution to their family. Like countless child laborers in Bangladesh, Anika cannot imagine her childhood education as rich and carefree. 

Bangladesh is a country of vibrant culture and breathtaking natural beauty. But one of the harsh realities of the country is the state of child labor here. The latest National Child Labor Survey 2022, conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) with the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO), found that about 1.7 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are currently engaged in child labor. This number is 4.4 percent of the total children living in Bangladesh. Although this number has decreased compared to previous years, it proves that a significant number of children are still deprived of their childhood.

According to the results of a BBS survey, 38,08 children aged 5-17 are working in 40,525 establishments in 5 sectors in the country, of which 97.5 percent are boys. The largest number of children work in automobile workshops. The remaining sectors are footwear manufacturing (leather footwear industry), iron and steel casting (vending work or gas burner mechanic work) and repair of personal and household goods (informal, local tailoring and garment sector).

According to a UNICEF report in 2013, 43.3 percent of the population of Bangladesh lives below the international poverty line. Due to this situation, families are forced to send their children to work. No matter how low the child's income is, this income may provide some food for him. According to the ILO report, about 75.94 percent of child laborers live in rural areas. This shows that poverty is the main driving force of child labor in Bangladesh. 

Dr. Wazedul Alam Khan, General Secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Center, said that child labor has become a social disease in Bangladesh today. At an age when a child should have books and pens in his hands, the child is forced to enter the labor market to feed himself or his family, or the child is being forced to enter the labor market. A class of profit-hungry and self-interested people take advantage of the poverty and social vulnerability of children and make them work. Because the price of child labor is very negligible. 60.14 percent of child laborers, or more than 1 million children, are engaged in hazardous work. These children work in the garment manufacturing industry, brick kilns, shipbreaking industry and agriculture. They do unsafe work such as using strong chemicals, dangerous machinery. The consequences of which are terrible. Children doing such work face the risk of accidents, injuries, long-term health problems and even death.

Child labor deprives children of their right to education. According to a UNICEF survey, about 28 percent of children aged 5 to 11 and 35 percent of children aged 12 to 14 engaged in child labor are not able to attend school. Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty, but millions of children are deprived of that education due to child labor. Without education, these children are involved in low-paid and dangerous work, which reduces their chances of a better future. 

However, despite numerous challenges, Bangladesh has made significant progress in combating child labor in the past few years. The government has implemented strict laws and increased enforcement efforts, as well as various programs for children and their families. As a result, the number of children in the labor force has decreased by more than 50 percent since 2003. 

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also playing an important role in combating child labor. They work to provide educational opportunities for children, vocational training for adults, and alternative sources of income for their families. Organizations like BRAC and YPSA are establishing schools for working class children, providing them with opportunities to gain skills as well as receive education.

Today's children are the future of this country. Therefore, a multi-pronged approach is needed to eliminate child labor in the country. To break the cycle of child labor, Bangladesh can identify the root causes of poverty, ensure a quality education system, and create decent work opportunities for adults. As a result, this country will not only achieve economic development but also protect the basic rights of young children and ensure a bright future.

The writer is a columnist