The country elsewhere the world will observe the World Day Against Child Labour to raise awareness of the plight of child laborers world-wide.
Each year on 12 June, the World Day brings together governments, employers and workers organisations, civil society, as well as millions of people from around the world to highlight the plight of child labourers and what can be done to help them.
Marking the day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
on Monday gave separate messages with a call for a more effective role of private organisations, individuals, national and international agencies, civil
society and media alongside the government to prevent child labour. “The government has fixed child labour elimination as one of the indexes to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. So the government is determined to keep children safe in all fields including disaster and conflict,” President Hamid said.
The theme of the day this year is “Generation: Safe and healthy”. The President appreciated the theme saying that it is very time-befitting.
He said Bangladesh has already ratified the UN charter on child rights, the ILO convention on prevention and elimination of hazardous child labour. Abdul Hamid said the government has formulated National Child Labour Elimination Policy 2010 to prevent child labour.
The President also said the government has identified 38 jobs as hazardous for children and they are being withdrawn from hazardous jobs and given vocational and technical educations.
He said the government is implementing Education for All programmes for the sake of children’s welfare and development.
In another message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government has formulated Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy 2015 to ensure rights of children working as household activities.
She said National Child Labour Welfare Council with the association of ILO has been working to strengthen the capacity of divisional, district and upazila committees to eliminate child labour.
Echoing the remarks of the President, Sheikh Hasina also said all students are being provided with textbooks, education materials as well as stipends under ‘Education For All’ programme and school feeding programme is functioning in poverty-stricken areas for the development and welfare of children.
“Due of our government’s pragmatic steps, child labour has reduced in the country,” she said.
The President and the Prime Minister wished success of all programmes marking World Day Against Child Labour 2018.
