Most of the brick kilns in Jhalakathi district are using children in the risky work for low wages, in gross violation of law.

Children as small as five or six years' old are engaged in brick manufacturing and carrying work as demand for such workers increase in the dry season that sees full operation of the brick kilns, said workers.

Visiting around 40 brick fields in different areas of the district recently, this correspondent found children working in almost all of the kilns.

Most of the brick kilns are operating illegally, without any permission from the authorities concerned, sources said.   

"I get Tk 20 for carrying one hundred bricks from the field to the furnace. A child usually earns Tk 60 to 150 a day working here while an adult worker gets Tk 450 to 600 for the same amount of work," said eight-year-old Sajal, who works at a small brick kiln at Balaybari of Rajajpur.

Owners of brick kilns even torture children if they want to leave the workplace, said Sujon, a child worker at a brick kiln at Rajapur.

Parents of these children of school going age send them to brick kilns for adding to family income, said several child workers. 

"The children often receive minor injuries when they work in the brick fields but we are not worried about it. We are only worried about major injuries that might cause death to any child," said a brick owner seeking anonymity.

"The children are sternly instructed to hide or flee the place if they see any unknown person. Brick kiln owners also intimidate these children by saying that they would be handed over to police if they disobey the employers," said Saiful, a brick manufacturer.

"Engaging children in the risky work at brick kilns is illegal and gross violation of children's rights," said Akkas Shikder, a lawyer of Jhalakathi. 

"Working in such an unhygienic and risky environment often causes respiratory and skin diseases and other problems to children. It leaves long term negative effect on their body and mind," said Md Nazrul Islam, civil surgeon of Jhalakathi.

The brick kiln owners are violating children's rights by engaging them in the risky and inhuman works, said Roushanara Begum, deputy manager of Jhalakathi office of Save the Children.