Staff Correspondent

The Chairman of the Labour Reform Commission, Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, has called for the publication of a white paper on the child labour elimination project initiated by the previous government.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Child Labour Elimination Platform (CLEP) at a hotel in the capital on Thursday he noted that while the project was implemented in three phases to eradicate child labour by 2025, surveys indicate that child labour has actually increased in the country.

“Although hazardous child labour has decreased, this is mainly due to changes in household income levels. The question remains: where did the project funds go, and what tangible outcomes were achieved? These details must be made public,” he remarked.

The CLEP platform, comprising 21 international and national development organisations, aims to eradicate all forms of child labour in Bangladesh by 2030. It plans to collaborate with the government to address child labour issues through discussions, collective advocacy, awareness campaigns, and research. Educo Bangladesh is serving as the platform’s secretariat.

In his address, the chief guest emphasised that a discrimination-free Bangladesh cannot be achieved while children remain trapped in labour. “I have heard of campaigns led by Upazila Executive Officers and the police to combat child marriage, yet no similar campaigns against child labour. This is despite child labour being explicitly prohibited by law,” he stated.

He called on the government to issue administrative directives for a nationwide campaign against child labour, stressing the need for a social movement to tackle the issue. “Laws and policies must be formulated and effectively implemented at the national level,” he urged.

Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed also highlighted that child labour is a priority for the Labour Reform Commission. “There may be differing views on what constitutes hazardous work, but any activity that deprives children of education is inherently harmful. Our goal is to ensure no child is engaged in labour,” he explained.

He further suggested that individuals and organisations with the means to do so should take responsibility for supporting at least one child. “This is not solely the government’s responsibility; every organisation involved in the effort must share accountability. However, the government should lead by example and be held responsible for its actions,” he said, adding that the commission’s recommendations would be finalised after consultations with child labour-focused organisations.

M Rabiul Islam, Deputy Director of the National Human Rights Commission, pointed out the lack of coordination in the government’s efforts to address child labour. He expressed the commission’s willingness to collaborate with both governmental and non-governmental organisations, emphasising the need to focus on children involved in domestic work. “Domestic work is yet to be classified as hazardous under labour laws, nor has it been given due consideration by the authorities,” he added.

Calling for grassroots-level initiatives to eliminate child labour, Chandan Z. Gomez, Senior Programme Director at World Vision, shared the organisation’s achievements. “World Vision has already declared 103 Union Parishads free of child labour, ensuring these areas will remain child labour-free in the future. If everyone contributes similarly, the nation can be freed from child labour swiftly,” he said.

The meeting was chaired by Abdur Rahim, Director of Educo Bangladesh, and featured contributions from several distinguished speakers, including M. Mainuddin Mainul, Country Director of Good Neighbours-Bangladesh; Tamko Uchiyama, Country Director of Shapla Neer; Mahmud Ullah, Director of Social Services; Dr Afroza Parveen; Masud Manna of Bangladesh Shishu Kalyan Parishad; Afzal Kabir Khan, Manager of Educo Bangladesh; Sharmin Sultana, Advocate of IPSA; and Hena Akhter Ruma of the Bangladesh Solidarity Platform.