Reza Mahmud :
Ten years old Rayhan was working in a light engineering workshop in Loharbridge area of Kamrangirchar. Studying in a school like other children was his ambition. But his parents were too poor to send him to a school.
His income, though it was little, helped his poverty stricken family.
In this circumstances, a Non-Government Organisation identified as Islamic Relief UK, came in aid of Rayhan.
Later, he left the hazardous work and got admitted into a primary school in Class three.
Now he and his parents are very happy.
“Our organization is working to help ultra poor women and children in the country. To eliminate hazardous child labour is one of our goals. We are working to fulfill our targets though our ability is limited,” said Safiul Azam, Coordinator of Islamic Relief UK, Bangladesh Chapter.
Islamic Relief, Bangladesh and Shishu Adhikar Forum, jointly organised a programme in Kamrangirchar to expose the danger of hazardous child labour recently.
IR, BD, officials of Kamrangirchar branch office said they surveyed up to 500 child labours and sorted out 275 most hazardous child labour.
Most of them were working at plastic factory, launch making factory, light-engineering workshops and such other hazardous work. Officials said that the IR Bangladesh has given Tk 14,000 as non-refundable grants to the each mothers of the child labourers.
“The amount of money is to create an alternative way of earnings as they can afford their family and get back the child from hazardous work. Apart from these, we also have granted Tk 1000 per month for every child who left the hazardous work and become student also to help the family and their study in schools,” said Safiul Azam.
The officials said also that they had facilitated training programmes for both the mothers and the children to enrich their knowledge about their rights in the country and the social values and about the reality of the society.
The mothers got training about management of small businesses. The training also enriched their knowledge about how to maintain cooperative society to safety of their money together.
The NGO helped those women to form cooperative society and savings money in banks through such an organization. Under the cooperative society, the women are depositing their money in a joint account in bank.
Alo Begum, President of such a cooperative society named ‘Haglai Sabolomban Dal’ Kamrangirchar said they have 26 women in their organization and have Tk 3, 20,000 in their account in Pubali Bank.
They lend money to their members without any interest whenever they needed. Alo Begum said that she got the donation from the NGO for her daughter Lazina, who left a hazardous work from a plastic factory, is now studying in Class eight.
The children also become united with different clubs.
They learned many important things like health and hygiene, education, bad effect of child marriage and many others through group meetings in those clubs.
They played active role to prevent child marriage in their society. When contacted, Abdus Shahid Mahmood, Director of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum told The New Nation, “There are many children in the country employed in hazardous child labour.”
He said Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics showed in its latest survey conducted in 2013 showed that there were about 17,00000 child labourers in the country. Among them, about 12,80,000 children are involved in hazardous works.
He suggested the government and other stakeholders should invest for removing child labours.
“Allotting and investing handful amount of money through our national budget, will return with huge potentiality for those children, it will make our future balanced and potential.”
