According to the 'National Child Labour Survey 2022' report published by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Wednesday, the number of children engaged in the labour force in the country is 3,536,927. Compared to the latest National Child Labour Survey in 2013, there has been an increase of approximately 3 per cent in the rate of children involved in child labour.
However, compared to 9 years ago, child labour in hazardous sector has decreased by about 17 per cent. On the other hand, there has been a significant rise in the number of children involved in non-hazardous work, with child labour in this category increasing by 69 per cent.
The preliminary survey findings were unveiled at the BBS office auditorium in Agargaon, in the capital. As per the survey findings, over 1,776,000 children are currently engaged in child labour, indicating a rise of approximately 5 per cent compared to figures from 9 years ago. It is worth noting that other forms of child employment are considered permissible.
According to the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006, a 'juvenile' is defined as an individual who is at least 14 years old but has not reached the age of 18. As per the National Child Labour Elimination Policy-2010, children are prohibited from working in formal workplaces. Juveniles are not allowed to engage in hazardous occupations and must not work for more than 42 hours per week.
During the event, Planning Minister MA Mannan, as the chief guest, emphasized that child labour is a result of economic inequality, injustice, colonial exploitation, and the dominant class exploiting the weaker sections of society. He mentioned that the government is actively working to address and reduce child labour, child marriage, and gender inequality.
Rasheda K Chowdhury, a guest in the event and former caretaker government advisor, pointed out that a significant number of children are still deprived of education. She suggested the reintroduction of mid-day meals in educational institutions to improve access to education. Additionally, she expressed concern that the report did not include information about children engaged in domestic work.
Why the number of children grew at non-hazardous work
According to a recent survey report, the number of children involved in non-hazardous child labour has surpassed 700,000, compared to over 400,000 in the 2013 survey. This shows an increase of 289,000, representing approximately 69 per cent growth in child labour.
During the event, the Director General of BBS, Matiar Rahman, who presided over the proceedings, advised comparing this increase with the ratio of population growth in the last 9 years without delving into specific numbers.
He mentioned that considering the overall population growth rate in the past 9 years, the rise in child labour has not been significant. Moreover, he pointed out that the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic over the last three years has played a role in affecting child labour rates.
Director General of BBS did not mention the government's commitment to end child labour in this regard. The government aims to eliminate child labour by 2025. In this situation, even if the population increases, the number of child labourers should not increase if proper steps are taken to eliminate child labour.
Child labour high in rural areas
As per the survey report, 8.9 per cent of children in the country are involved in labour. Among these child labourers, boys account for over 13 per cent, while girls comprise more than 4 per cent.
Analysing child labour by age group, approximately 3 per cent of children between the ages of 5 and 17 are engaged in labour in rural areas, whereas in urban areas, the rate is 0.8 per cent.
Regarding economic sectors, the data indicates that more than 1,079,000 children aged 5 to 17 years are employed in agriculture, over 1,190,000 children in various industries, and more than 1,266,000 children are involved in different jobs.
Matt Cannell, the Deputy High Commissioner and Development Director of the British High Commission in Dhaka, emphasised that globally, 1 in every 10 children is involved in labour. Given Bangladesh's economic progress, he urged the country to take significant steps to eliminate child labour.
Tuomo Poutiainen, the Country Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Bangladesh, stressed the importance of prioritising the education of children engaged in child labour. He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many children to drop out of school, making it essential to address this issue effectively.
Shahnaz Arefin, secretary of Statistics and Informatics Division, was the special guest on the occasion, Mohammad Saddam Hossain Khan, focal person of survey report preparation project presented the survey report and Parimal Chandra Bose, deputy director general of BBS, delivered the welcome speech.