We must seek to address the issue on two levels. First, let's eradicate child labour in hazardous occupations including work in welding, chemical and ship-breaking industry, only to name the obvious few. By virtue of international conventions to which we are a signatory, there are well defined categories of hazardous professions from which the children must be entirely withdrawn as soon as possible.

Secondly, we have the issue of children engaged in other kinds of work from which too they must be substantially phased out by 2015, the target date for halving the poverty of the country. How do we go about realising the goal?

The draft policy on child labour in Bangladesh itself does not have a deadline on eradication; it is better to have one relating to hazardous occupation and another one concerning containment of child labour in other areas.

Besides, both NGOs and the government agencies have said that the existing projects in the domain are not only inadequate but also problem-ridden. The projects now under implementation are targeted to benefit a mere 30 thousand children with a large majority being kept outside their pale.

The best way to approach the entirety of the problem is to look at it from a child right issue angle. So, we are extensively for projects that impart functional literacy and vocational skill to children in community school situations. So that their transition to job market is well-ordered. Secondly, the poor households from which they come need to be financed to pursue some gainful occupation themselves. We are basically looking forward to public-private sector collaboration to overcome the child labour malady.