Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh is going to be the first country in the world to have a National CSR Policy for Children. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has already formulated the draft of the policy with the technical support of Save the Children.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque said this at a national seminar on the draft policy held at a local hotel in city on Thursday.
Speaking as the chief guest, he said, the government would enact a full-fledged law on corporate social responsibility (CSR) for the children.
“It would not be possible to eliminate child labour from the country overnight. The citizens have to be aware of the issue and all the stakeholders have to work together to end the phenomenon”, he added.
The seminar was organised to share the draft policy with key stakeholders at the national level and get their feedback and make the final draft.
Labour and Employment Ministry Secretary Mikhail Shipar chaired the seminar, moderated by CSR Centre Chief Executive Officer Shahamin S Zaman. Labour and Employment Ministry Joint Secretary (Labour) Md Faizur Rahman delivered the address of welcome while Save the Children Education for Youth Empowerment (EYE) Programme Director Shahida Begum presented the ‘Draft National CSR Policy for Children’.
Save the Children Country Director Michael McGrath, European Union’s Human and Social Development Section Education Advisor Laila Baqee, Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) Chairperson Emranul Huq Chowdhury, National Coordination Committee for Workers’ Education (NCCWE) Member Secretary Md Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan, Bangladesh Employer Federation Vice-President Sabrina Islam and CAMPE Executive Director Rasheda K Choudhury, among others spoke on the occasion.
High government officials, representatives from donor agencies, UN bodies, NGOs and corporate entities, formal and informal sectors, civil society, trade unions, trade bodies, mass media, other stakeholders and academia also joined the seminar.
