Eliminating child labour

Admittedly, child labour is a daunting issue in Bangladesh particularly, and eradicating it has to take into consideration the causative factors that compel parents to employ their children when they should be actually going to school. And hazardous work, regrettably, pays more than the more sedentary work (if there can be any work sedentary at all for children). 

Admittedly too, the problem needs a step-by-step approach to see the end of the phenomenon. The government is signatory to the international conventions on the rights of children and has formulated the National Child Labour Elimination Policy that puts forward a well-defined six-point strategy. However, the reality is that, children under the age of 14 are working for an average of 64 hours a week, and children as young as 6 employed full-time and others are working up to 100-110 hours a week. On average, the working children earned less than USD 2 a day. That is according to a survey conducted not very long ago. For any strategy to bear fruit, it has to be enforced. And awareness and affordable, if not free, school are two factors that the government must push vigorously on a priority basis.