The call came from a meeting to review the project 'Addressing Child Labour in the Bangladesh Garment Industry'. The meeting ended in Dhaka yesterday.

It looked at interventions and practices linked with the industry over a nine-year period from 1995.

Participants called for continued efforts to ensure that children are not engaged in hazardous employment, while at the same time not being thrown into a life that deprives them of their right to education and economic well-being.

"Getting children out of work is necessary but not sufficient to end worst forms of child labour. Alternatives must be put in place as they are removed from employment," said Louis-Georges Arsenault, deputy programme director of Unicef.

Eliminating the worst forms of child labour is a global priority under ILO's Convention 182, said Frans Roselaers, director, International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, ILO.

A synthesis paper based on assessments of programmes conducted over the nine years was presented at the symposium.

The meeting recommended that getting under-age children out of work and into school is the right strategy but safety nets should be in place prior to removing children from work to mitigate the negative welfare effects and ensure that children do not end up in even worse conditions.

It also called for a monitoring and verification system to keep workplaces free from child labour.

It also suggested introducing an effective birth registration system for proper targeting of underage children.