Dr. Muhammad Mahtab Hossain Mazed

Today, Wednesday, June 12, is World Child Labor Day 2024. This day is observed every year to raise awareness about child labor around the world. The International Labor Organization (ILO) first decided to observe Child Labor Prevention Day in 1992.

Accordingly, since June 12, 2002, ILO has been observing the day as 'Child Labor Prevention Day' every year through various programsFather of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1974 made child law and compulsory primary education. And the current Awami League government has formulated the National Child Policy-2011, Child Act-2013, Child Marriage Prevention Act-2017 along with various programs of development and protectionAnd the cabinet has approved the draft Bangladesh Labor (Amendment) Act 2018 banning child labour. If anyone hires child labour, he will be fined five thousand rupees. Adolescents between the ages of 14 and 18 can do light work. Earlier, 12-year-old children used to get this opportunity for light workVarious benefits and rights are ensured for the workers in the proposed Act.According to the National Child Labor Survey, there are 2730,000 child laborers in rural areas and 810,000 in urban areas. The number of children engaged in child labor is 13,30,000 in rural areas and 4,40,000 in urban areas. On the other hand, the number of children engaged in hazardous child labor is 820,000 in rural areas and 240,000 in urban areas. The report contains statistical information on the population of children aged 5-17 years. The total child population of this age is 3 crore 99 lakh 60 thousand. Where 5 to 11 years old is 55.2 percent. There are 2 crore 76 lakh 30 thousand working children aged 5-17 in the country and the school attendance rate is currently 34.81 percent.

According to the survey results, 82 percent of child laborers live in their own homes, 33.3 percent are employed in manufacturing and 23.6 percent in agriculture, forestry and fishing. Overall, 68.8 percent are classified as child laborers and 52.2 percent go to school.

The average monthly income of child laborers is 6 thousand 675 taka. There are also 2.2 million and 10,000 child domestic workers who are unpaid and 80,000 who are paid, both women outnumbering men. The three primary sectors where agriculture, industry and services have 10 lakh 70 thousand, 11 lakh 90 thousand and 12 lakh 70 thousand child laborers respectively.

Children are the leaders of the country and nation. It is the children of today who will take the responsibility of running the country, nation and state of tomorrow. That is why it is essential to develop children as competent citizens. In the developed countries of the world, various types of care systems have been developed for the physical, mental and intellectual development of children. But children in our country are deprived of their basic rights in many ways due to illiteracy and poverty. Due to scarcity, they have to engage in various labor professions at the beginning of lifeAnd most child labor is used in Bangladesh – textile, clothing industry, leather industry, brick kilns and shoe factories. Hotels, restaurants and welding workshops. Currently, many children are also seen driving rickshaws on the streets of Dhaka. Also medium vehicles - Laguna, Tempu carry risky jobs like picking up passengers, collecting fare while moving. However, recently, child labor gatherings can be seen in the canteens of various shops and educational institutions in the country.

> Causes of child labour
Economic distress is the first and foremost cause of child labor in Bangladesh. It is no longer possible for poor families to pay for their children's education. As a result parents lose motivation to send them to school. In this situation, regardless of age, parents consider it profitable if the child earns income by engaging in the father's profession or any other profession. On the other hand, children who are deprived of the opportunity to go to school or drop out are engaged in various jobs. Employers/Owners/Managers/Authorities are also more enthusiastic about employing children as they can be employed for long periods of time at low wages.

The socio-economic condition of Bangladesh is also one of the causes of child labour. In our society, if the head of the family i.e. the father dies, then it becomes a responsibility to provide education and support for the family members. When parents are separated by family breakdown, no one keeps track of their children. Apart from this, due to non-acceptance of family planning in poor families, due to the large number of children, the families concerned with their maintenance face great financial hardship.

Due to inadequate job opportunities in villages, social uncertainty, lack of basic needs etc., people are moving from villages to cities. Natural calamities like floods, droughts, floods and earthquakes occur frequently. Every such incident constantly pushes children towards manual labour.

Due to low education, poverty and ignorance of parents, they consider education as an unprofitable activity. They don't have the patience to continue paying for their children's education for 10/15 years. Child labor is on the rise due to lack of educational facilities and opportunities and lack of awareness/apathy of parents about the evils of child labour. Due to the heavy reliance on domestic workers for household work in urban life, the traditional culture also brings the child engaged in education in the village to the city for domestic work.

> Child labor:
All workers employed below the age prescribed by existing laws are child labourers. According to the consensus of experts, child labor is any form of deprivative labor that is physically, mentally and morally harmful to the child and is incompatible with the needs and rights of the child in all institutional and non-institutional cases.

The Garment Industry Factory is a labor intensive industry. Factories are under heavy workload to manage lead time in production process. As a result, the authorities feel that the employment of child labor in this industry will not help the mental development of the child, which is applicable to all children regardless of caste, religion, casteFor this reason, at the initial stage of the recruitment process, the officers of the Human Resource Department are using the national identity card and birth registration of the candidatesIn some cases, the authorities accept the pass certificate to prove the age of the candidate.
If it is ever proved that there are child and juvenile workers in the establishment, then the authorities are committed to follow all the rules mentioned below / according to the labor law:-

* No juvenile worker shall be made to work more than five hours a day for more than thirty hours a week.
* No juvenile worker shall be made to work more than forty-two hours in a week of 7 hours with two additional hours per day.
* No work shall be done by any juvenile worker between 7:00 PM and 7:00 AM.
* The working hours of juvenile workers shall be limited to two shifts, and no shift shall exceed seven and a half hours.
* No juvenile worker can work in more than one establishment on the same day.
* No juvenile worker shall be employed underground or under water.
* A notice shall be displayed stating the fixed hours of work of the juvenile regarding the procedure prescribed by the rules.
* No work shall be given which hinders their health improvement and education irrespective of anything contained in the rules.
* If a juvenile laborer is going to school, then his working hours should be fixed in such a way that he does not interfere with his going to school.
* All the provisions of this chapter applicable to child labor shall, as far as possible, apply to such child labour.
Children are the future leaders of the country. In order to move the nation forward on the path of prosperity, it is necessary to adopt and implement the overall program of children's development on a priority basis.
* Respecting the Bangladesh National Child Policy, the authorities discourage the employment of child labor at all times.

> Principles of the Charter of Rights of the Child:
* Non-discrimination.
* Protecting the best interests of the child.
* It is the responsibility of parents to uphold the rights of children.
* Respecting children's opinions.

> Minimum age for employment:-

According to the Labor Act 2006, the employment of children is prohibited and a qualification certificate is required to employ them in any factory. Child means a person who has completed fourteen years of age and juvenile means a person who has completed sixteen years of age but below 18 years of age. In exceptional cases, a child who has completed twelve years of age may be engaged in light work that does not cause any disturbance to the physical health and development or mental development of the child.

The working hours of such children should be fixed in such a way that there is no problem in their school attendance. Under the Labor Act, child labor contracts are prohibited by their parents or guardians. In case of juvenile workers it is mandatory to issue their fitness certificate by a registered medical practitioner. Such eligibility certificate remains valid for a specified period of twelve months from the date of issue.(Sections 34-38 & 44 of Labor Act 2006, amended 2013)

> Minimum age for hazardous work:-
The minimum age prescribed for hazardous work is 18 years. Workers above 16 years of age and below 18 years of age shall not be allowed to work in any establishment for cleaning, oiling or adjusting machinery while it is in operation or between moving parts of such machinery or between stationary and moving parts.

No juvenile shall operate any such machinery unless he is fully aware of the hazards associated with such machinery and the precautions to be taken in this regard or has received adequate training in the operation of such machinery or under the supervision of a person experienced and thoroughly knowledgeable about such machineryworksA juvenile worker cannot work more than 5 hours a day and 33 hours a week in any factory or mine and not more than 7 hours a day and 45 hours a week in other establishments. No juvenile worker shall be allowed to work in any establishment between 7 pm and 7 am. No juvenile worker shall be employed in underground or underwater or other hazardous work. In 2012, the government created a list of prohibited jobs for children, but it is no longer approved.

The list covers 36 occupations, including shipbreaking, leather processing, construction, and work in the automotive industryMeanwhile, a new law has been approved (Child Act 2013) which not only sets the legal age for child labor but also prescribes severe penalties ranging from two years in prison if the employment involves child exploitation (by confiscating a child's life and earnings). Starting with a fine of up to 50,000 rupees or bothbecomesIf a person employs a child for special gain or uses a child for immoral entertainment, he shall be deemed to be a patron of that offence.

> Effects of child labor:-

Child labor is an inhumane part of children's lives. Child labor does not develop the natural intelligence of children. As a result, children remain in the dark. The negative effects of child labor are discussed below-

√ Child labor affects children's health. Due to this they become physically weak. When children are in poor health, they suffer from malnutrition and weakened immunity.

√ Child laborers often work in hazardous conditions. Various kinds of accidents happen in their life.

√ Child labor lowers the country's enrollment rate. A recent survey shows that 70 percent of child laborers in Dhaka city do not go to school and 50 percent never did. Children lose the habit of going to school due to working. Thus child labor creates a reverse situation of child education.

√ Child labor has a negative impact on the national economy. Children are used by the owning class for low wages. This results in unequal distribution of income.

√ Child laborers often develop criminal tendencies. Many a times they are victims of torture and turn towards vindictive attitude. And this is how child labor spreads negative effects in the society.

> Urgent to eliminate child labour
1. Child abuse and torture must be stopped.
2. Social protection of children should be increased.
3. Children's rights should be ensured by state and society.
4. There should be a separate provision for children in the national budget.
5. Child's human rights must be protected and child's social justice must be ensured.
6. The ILO Convention on Child Labor must be universally enforced and implemented.
7. National policies to stop child labor should be properly implemented.
8. Social movement against child labor should be developed.
9. Implement social security and education programs (Planning Strategy) to alleviate poverty: All forms of child labor should be eradicated.
10. Allocate adequate budget for rehabilitation/welfare of street children, uprooted children, child labourers.

Finally, I would like to say that the number of child laborers in the labor market of Bangladesh is increasing day by day. If the number of child labor increases like this, the whole country and nation will be plunged into darkness. Since the children will take the lead of the country and the nation in the future, children should be freed from labor and enlightened in educationAgain recently the nuisance called Kishore Gang has started.

Children from the poor are more likely to be involved than from the middle class. This is the other side of the coin of child labour. If there is child labour, there will be criminalization of children. At the same time, children and teenagers are taking drugs and using them in drug trade. It cannot be denied that the absence of appropriate programs to ensure the basic needs of children and adolescents, food, shelter, education and cultural development, is responsible for the emergence of these problems. Along with this, increasing political corruption is also contributing to the growth of the problems.

The country has a significant population under the age of 18, who are essential for the overall development and progress of the country in the future. The government also knows this. That is why the government has a target of eliminating child labor by 2025. It is not that nothing has been done. Out of 38 sectors so far, eight including the export-oriented garment sector have been declared child labour-free. But almost sanctuaries of child labor say that there is an informal sector, where very little work has been doneIn order to make the informal sector free from child labour, it is necessary to ensure the social security of the poor and low-income people, as well as to create widespread public awareness about the negative consequences of such labour.

The public opinion that will be developed through social awareness to solve social problems will eventually become a social movement. For this, the cooperation of various socio-cultural forces is important, but the government should lead the work. With so many policies and laws in mind for the welfare of children and the future of the nation, their full implementation should not be neglected. In this case, there should be continuous monitoring by the concerned government authorities. How come so many children are out of school when children are supposed to go to school? In this case, the government should take short and long-term plans to make parents and owners aware.

Therefore, appropriate initiatives should be taken for the expansion of education and poverty alleviation to stop child labour. Government should be responsible for rehabilitation of child laborers and social welfare organizations should come forward. If child labor is not stopped, the future of a nation can soon be destroyed. There is no alternative to our collective resistance against child labor for the overall development of the nation.

The writer is a, columnist and researcher Founder and Chairman, Jatiya Rogi Kallyan Society.