The government has declared the six sectors — tannery, ceramic, glass, ship re-cycling and export-oriented leather, silk and footwear — free from child labour.
State Minister for Labour Monnujan Sufian made the announcement during a press conference held at the Shrama Bhaban in Dhaka on Thursday.
A large number of children, however, are still working at undervest factories in Keraniganj, she said.
The ministry will ask the district administration to take initiative to stop child labour there, the state minister said.
“Child labour must be stopped in Keraniganj,” she said.
The government tasked 10 ministries and departments in October last year with identifying nine key strategic fields to eradicate child labour.
Following the decisions taken at the seventh meeting of the National Council for Child Labour Welfare on Jan 29, 2019 and considering the recommendation of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, a National Monitoring Core Committee was formed to declare some sectors free from child labour in order to get rid of the menace gradually.
The owners of six sectors then claimed they do not use child labour. The National Monitoring Core Committee while visiting the factories of these sectors in November and December last year found the owners’ claim to be true, said Monnujan.
The Labour Act states that no one below the age of 14 can be employed as a factory worker, but children aged between 14 and 18 can do light work that is not risky.
According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 1.28 million children are engaged in risky labour.
The government in 2010 made the Child Labour Policy to ensure their proper growth by bringing them under educational programmes and social safety net. Two years later, it took a national workplan to eradicate child labour and after another year, it published a list of jobs risky for children.
Committees were also formed at national, divisional, district and Upazila levels.
Monnujan said she hopes the government will be able to declare Bangladesh free from child labour by 2025 in line with the Sustainable Development Goal set for the issue.
Source : bdnews24
