Child labour rises by 4.5pc in a decade
Over 10 lakh engaged in hazardous jobs, says BBS survey
Income inequality, economic injustice, and discriminatory social structures are the main causes of child labour.
Around 17.76 lakh children are currently victims of child labour in Bangladesh. The number has increased by 4.5 percent (77,203) in the last nine years, according to National Child Labour Survey-2022.
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) revealed the figures in an event held at its headquarters in the capital's Agargaon yesterday.
The number of children employed in hazardous jobs has declined by 2.12 lakh, while that of children in non-hazardous sectors has risen by 2.89 lakh, the report read.
The country is currently home to 3.99 crore children aged 5-17.
The BBS report discloses that the percentage of working children has risen to 8.90 percent in 2022, compared to 8.70 percent in 2013.
The report further highlights that over 37.02 children are currently not engaged in any type of labour.
Planning Minister MA Mannan was present at the event as chief guest.
"Income inequality, economic injustice, and discriminatory social structures are the causes of child labour," said the minister.
"We never see children from solvent families engaged in child labour. The more we work to reduce this socio-economic gap, the less children will fall prey to child labour," he added.
The government is working to reduce poverty and inequality. Reaching a better financial position will help reduce the number of children forced into child labour, he asserted.
Marginalised families often send their children to work at an early age, and this leads to the rising number of child labour victims, stressed Md Matiar Rahman, director general of BBS.
"The pandemic has further fueled the rise," he said.
Rasheda K Choudhury, executive director of Campaign for Popular Education, urged the government to resume the mid-day meal programmes in schools as it may reduce the rate significantly.
The number of children working as domestic help should be recorded properly in future surveys. Children should not be working as housemaids, she said.
"Child labour has not risen as sharply as the population in the last decade," said Md Ehsan-E-Elahi, secretary to Ministry of Labour and Employment.
"Following government initiatives, the number of children employed in hazardous occupations has declined. The authorities plan to eradicate child labour by 2025," he added.
Elahi also mentioned a project aimed at reducing child labour and rehabilitating the victims. They have already conducted the feasibility studies, and the Tk 2,500 crore project will commence soon.
Matt Cannell, deputy high commissioner and development director of British High Commission; Tuomo Poutiainen, country director of ILO's Dhaka office; and Shahnaz Arefin, secretary to the Statistics and Informatics Division, also spoke at the event.