Eliminating child labour

The structural causes of child labour are multifaceted, and it is necessary to remove them to bring every Bangladeshi child to the schoolroom

Speakers at a workshop on National Child Labour Resistance Policy and National Plan of Action in the capital on Tuesday put emphasis on the need to take coordinated initiative for eliminating child labour within stipulated time in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They called upon the government to take specific strategies for taking priority basis short, mid and long term plans in this regard. It is worrying to note that number of child labourers is increasing in the country over the past few years with the burgeoning population of the country.

Underprivileged children are exposed to harsh realities of life. They become victims of bonded labour, trafficking and other forms of violence and exploitation. Children are subjected to injustice and discriminatory attitude, they are increasingly being found involved in unsavoury activities like substance abuse. Violence, frustration and denial of basic rights plague the future of these ill-fated children. Child labour is a harsh reality in a capitalistic society. It is sheer poverty that drives millions of children to slog at such a tender age. They have no other alternative but to work under exploitative conditions.

Extra policing of these establishments is urgently needed, and the existing law against child labour should be strictly enforced. It is also imperative to do away with its causative factors. The structural causes of child labour are multifaceted, and it is necessary to remove them to bring every Bangladeshi child to the schoolroom. Impoverished students should be provided stipends and free meals as a measure to persuade their parents to send their children to school.

Children of penurious families work at restaurants and tea-stalls, at car and rickshaw garages, as helpers of motor mechanics, at brick kilns and at houses of affluent people as domestic helps. Very often they are subjected to harsh treatment by their employers. Impoverished parents and guardians find it lucrative to send their children to work for whatever pittance they are granted by their employers instead of sending them to school for learning.

Perhaps a more pragmatic first step towards eradicating child labour would be the establishment of registries under welfare bodies where the names of children employed in households are entered so that their welfare can be monitored on a frequent basis. The government has taken up various measures for improving the lot of children. More such initiatives should be taken up through proper planning for them.  

Eliminating child labour

The structural causes of child labour are multifaceted, and it is necessary to remove them to bring every Bangladeshi child to the schoolroom

Speakers at a workshop on National Child Labour Resistance Policy and National Plan of Action in the capital on Tuesday put emphasis on the need to take coordinated initiative for eliminating child labour within stipulated time in line with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They called upon the government to take specific strategies for taking priority basis short, mid and long term plans in this regard. It is worrying to note that number of child labourers is increasing in the country over the past few years with the burgeoning population of the country. Underprivileged children are exposed to harsh realities of life. They become victims of bonded labour, trafficking and other forms of violence and exploitation. Children are subjected to injustice and discriminatory attitude, they are increasingly being found involved in unsavoury activities like substance abuse. Violence, frustration and denial of basic rights plague the future of these ill-fated children. Child labour is a harsh reality in a capitalistic society. It is sheer poverty that drives millions of children to slog at such a tender age. They have no other alternative but to work under exploitative conditions. Extra policing of these establishments is urgently needed, and the existing law against child labour should be strictly enforced. It is also imperative to do away with its causative factors. The structural causes of child labour are multifaceted, and it is necessary to remove them to bring every Bangladeshi child to the schoolroom. Impoverished students should be provided stipends and free meals as a measure to persuade their parents to send their children to school. Children of penurious families work at restaurants and tea-stalls, at car and rickshaw garages, as helpers of motor mechanics, at brick kilns and at houses of affluent people as domestic helps. Very often they are subjected to harsh treatment by their employers. Impoverished parents and guardians find it lucrative to send their children to work for whatever pittance they are granted by their employers instead of sending them to school for learning. Perhaps a more pragmatic first step towards eradicating child labour would be the establishment of registries under welfare bodies where the names of children employed in households are entered so that their welfare can be monitored on a frequent basis. The government has taken up various measures for improving the lot of children. More such initiatives should be taken up through proper planning for them.