Md. Arafat Rahman :
At an age when children are supposed to come and go to school with books, notebooks, pencils, play games with his classmates with joy, some children very unfortunately have to search their livelihood. When a father fails to support his family due to poverty, it is no longer possible for him to keep his children in the family. And so once a child is disconnected from the family, he lost among countless people. Some of them work in hotels and restaurants, some in factories and workshops, some at home.
In addition to the above activities, the children are engaged in loading, begging, carrying rickshaws, pulling carts, tying cigarettes etc. Without getting a job, someone becomes a street child again. Despite all the possibilities, these children are no longer able to flourish as they are separated from their families. As a result, they are deprived of the opportunity to become good citizens. Another cursed aspect of child labour in Bangladesh is that a class of cheaters lures a child out of the house and smuggles him from village to town and finally from city to city. Thus trafficked girls are used for prostitution and pornography and boys are used for various anti-social activities.
The first and foremost cause of child labour in Bangladesh is the economic crisis. It is very difficult for poor families to pay for their children’s education. As a result, the parents lost the motivation to send them to school. In this situation, the parents consider it profitable to earn income by engaging the child in the father’s profession or any other profession without considering the age. On the other hand, children who are deprived of the opportunity to go to school or drop out are engaged in various activities. Recruiting authorities are also very enthusiastic about hiring children as they can be employed for a long time at low cost.
The socio-economic condition of Bangladesh is also one of the reasons for child labour. In our society, if the father or head of the family dies, then the education of the members of that family become a far cry. When parents are separated in a family breakup, no one keeps connection with their children. In addition, due to non-adoption of family planning in poor families, the majority of the children face severe financial difficulties. Inadequate job opportunities in villages, social uncertainty, lack of basic necessities, etc. are causing people to move from villages to cities.
Natural disasters like river erosion, floods, droughts, tidal surges and earthquakes are happening all the time. Every such incident is constantly pushing children towards labour. Due to the low education, poverty and unawareness of the parents, they consider education as a non-profit activity. They do not have the patience to continue the cost of education for 10 to 15 years. Child labour is on the rise due to lack of educational materials and opportunities and awareness of parents about the evils of this practice. Due to the extreme dependence on domestic workers, children are often lured to serve as domestic helps in city areas that also fuel child labour.
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh recognizes the fundamental rights of all citizens, including children. Articles 11, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the Constitution, that is, the principles of governing the state, emphasize on the need to take special measures for the physically and mentally handicapped, including compulsory primary education for children. The fundamental rights of all citizens as human beings are guaranteed in Articles 27, 28, 29, 31, 34, 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41 of the Fundamental Rights section. In particular, forced labour is strictly prohibited and there is a guarantee of legal action in the event of a violation of rights.
Child labour exists in Bangladesh mainly in two sectors: (1) Formal sectors such as industries, commercial establishments, communication and transportation system, ship breaking, etc. and (2) Informal sectors, such as agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing/fish farming, housework, construction work, brick breaking, rickshaw pulling, etc. Children are usually employed in different organizations or jobs in six ways: (1) trainees; (2) transfer; (3) casual; (4) apprentice; (5) temporary and (6) permanent staff. Although child labour is banned in Bangladesh as in almost all countries of the world, employers are more interested in employing children in child labour as they can be employed in higher working hours with lower wages.
If the existing laws and regulations related to child and child labour can be restructured and future action plans can be formulated and implemented, then our children will surely develop into enlightened people in the future.
(Mr. Rahman is Asst. Officer, Career & Professional Development Services Department, Southeast University).
