At an event for the World Day against Child Labour recently, it was indicated that the government has no current plans to conduct a fresh child labour census.
The Labour Ministry which had previously undertaken to conduct a fresh survey, is focusing funds on projects to eliminate the most hazardous forms of child labour.
While limited funding makes it appropriate to prioritise projects for children engaged in the most hazardous jobs, the lack of a survey is concerning.
Child rights groups are correct to say that a census is needed to update and improve implementation of the country’s framework for eliminating child labour. According to the last full survey conducted in 2003, over 3 million children, aged between five and 17, were engaged in active labour, with over a third identifiably involved in physically hazardous jobs.
Most experts are of the view that there has been no significant change in the situation over the last decade.
Although programs which provide non-formal education and skills training, have some success, collectively they have not been effective in ending the cycle of child labour.
In part, this is down to the high rates of poverty in the country.
However, the government and campaigners also need to reform social attitudes to root out the practice, and allow all children equal access to education.
The scandalous persistence of child labour only helps reinforce cycles of poverty, and undermines the progress which the country is making in increasing education enrollment rates.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
