The government plans to establish the Directorate of Children — a separate body to ensure children’s welfare and rights of the country — within this year, following demands made by different quarters for a long time, says an official.
“All legal and other preparations to open the directorate have been complete and this directorate will be established this year,” said Women and Children Affairs Ministry’s Joint Secretary Abu Taleb on Thursday.
He made the disclosure at a consultation program organized by Bangladesh Shishu Odhikar Forum (BSAF) at the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Dhaka.
He, however, did not go into the details of the structure and other issues of the directorate.
Speaking at the program, NHRC Chairman Kazi Reazul Haque praised the sustainable decrease in child labour around the country, but warned that the number of child labourers in risky jobs has dropped that much.
Comparing Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics data collected between 2003 and 2013, INCIDIN Bangladesh AKM Executive Director Masud Ali said child labour had decreased by 35.5 lakh (from 79 lakh to 34.5 lakh).
But over the last 10 years, the number of child labours in hazardous sectors decreased by only 10,000 (from 12.9 lakh to 12.8 lakh), he added.
Masud observed that boys were in a larger number dropping out of schools to join workforce.
He said high drop-out rate was related to the low quality of primary education and the cost of education.
The NHRC chief added: “If we create educationally handicapped youths, the country will never get proper services from them. So, the budget should prioritize them in it and the local government should prioritize the development and safety of the children.”
He said that only two years were left to achieve the government’s goal to make Bangladesh free from child labour in hazardous work, and it might be impossible. “While we cannot formulate rules six years after a law in this regard was enacted, it is a matter of concern how the country will become free of child labour within 2021.”
BSAF Director Abdus Shahid Mahmood said no National Plan of Action was formulated after 2016, and it was now necessary more than ever.