Despite his desire to attend school, 11-year-old Sharif lacks the means to do so. Driven by financial necessity, he has altered his aspirations and currently works 12-14 hours a day as a helper on a leguna running between Sat Masjid Road and Farmgate, earning Tk250 to Tk300 per day.
"When I used to go to school, I dreamed of becoming a police officer and serving my country. But after my father passed away, I could not continue my studies; I had to start working as a helper on a leguna (human hauler). Now my goal in life is to become a leguna driver and one day own my own vehicle."
When asked if he wished to return to school, Sharif told Dhaka Tribune: "Of course, I want to go to school, but where will I get the money? Who will give me the money? After my father died last year, my mother and I moved to Dhaka's Rajabazar. Since then, I have never had the chance to return to school.
“I have been working as a leguna helper for two months now. I do not like this job, but if I do not work, how will I eat? I now earn Tk250-Tk300 daily, plus three meals and an evening snack."
Sharif is not alone in his struggles. Many other boys aged 10 to 17 – like Jubayer, Bayezid and Arif – work as helpers or even drivers on legunas operating between Farmgate and Jigatola.
Growing crisis
A 2019-20 survey by Educo Bangladesh found that 1,068 children were engaged in hazardous child labour on 1,642 vehicles across nine major transport routes in Dhaka, including Mohammadpur, Badda, Farmgate, Jigatola, Gulistan and New Market.
In April 2022, the Bangladesh government officially listed 43 hazardous labour sectors, with "truck, tempo or helper jobs" ranked at number 27.
Despite this classification, child labour remains rampant on legunas, tempos and buses in Farmgate, Science Lab, Rampura, Badda and Vatara areas, leading to frequent accidents.
In September last year, 13-year-old Arif fell off a speeding leguna near Jigatola while on duty.
"There was a lot of traffic, and the leguna was going fast. As it turned a corner, my foot slipped, and I fell onto the road. My knee and elbow got badly scraped, and my chest was crushed under pressure. Since then, I feel pain whenever I walk too much or stand for long," he told this correspondent.
Arif has been working on legunas since he was 10. After his father died, his mother started working as a domestic worker, but the income was insufficient.
"This job is risky, but at least they pay me and give me food. So I have to do it, even if it is hard," he said.
Dangers of child labour
According to the Bangladesh Gazette, prolonged exposure to extreme heat,
vehicle fumes and long working hours put child labourers at risk of hearing loss, stomach ulcers, urinary infections, stunted growth, weight loss and malnutrition.
Afzal Kabir Khan, manager (child labour elimination) at Educo Bangladesh, told Dhaka Tribune: "The children working at leguna stands are very young. Yet they spend their days working on moving vehicles. Our 2019-20 survey found over 1,000 children in such hazardous jobs. The primary reason is poverty, followed by the fact that children are cheaper to hire.
“We spoke to the Department of Labour about conducting mobile court drives on these routes to curb this practice. While complete eradication is difficult, planned action can significantly reduce hazardous child labour."
Julia Jesmin, joint inspector general (Health Branch) at the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said child labour not only harmed physical health but also disrupted mental development.
“A normal child grows up in financial, emotional and social security. But child labourers do not get that. Instead of playing and studying, they are confined to work, restricting their personal growth and making it hard to return to a normal life,” she added.
Child labour on the rise
The 2022 National Child Labour Survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) revealed that the number of children in the country had increased by 311,000 over the past decade, bringing the total to 39.96 million, compared to 39.65 million in 2013.
The number of working children increased by about 100,000. At the time, around 3.54 million children were engaged in labour, up from 3.45 million in 2013. Among them, 1.1 million children were in hazardous jobs, while 700,000 were in non-hazardous sectors. The rest were involved in various forms of labour.
DIFE official Julia Jesmin said economic hardship was the main reason for the increase in child labour.
Many working children had lost one or both parents, some had been abandoned and some were growing up on the streets, she said, adding that they took up risky jobs for survival. “Moreover, child workers are easily available and cheap."
Meanwhile, Educo Bangladesh’s Afzal Kabir Khan said he believed that beyond poverty, mindset changes at the government, family and social levels were crucial. "We need a psychological shift alongside economic reforms," he added.
Why child labour persists despite bans
Over the past 12 years, the authorities have spent over Tk300 crore on various projects to eliminate child labour. Each district has committees, including deputy commissioners on them, to address this issue. But most exist only on paper.
In 2018, the Ministry of Labour and Employment implemented a Tk284 crore project called Eradication of Hazardous Child Labour in Bangladesh (phase IV). The project aimed to provide 100,000 children with six months of informal education and four months of skills training.
However, since children in hazardous labour were not directly targeted, many remained in risky jobs.
According to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, hazardous child labour should have been eliminated by 2021, with all forms of child labour eradicated by 2025. However, these goals seem increasingly difficult to achieve.
Afzal Kabir Khan said that despite government rhetoric, no administration had genuinely prioritized child labour elimination.
“The National Child Labour Survey has been conducted three times (2002, 2013, and 2022), and each time the number of child workers has increased. Despite crores spent on projects, child labour has grown. The main issue is that the authorities do not consider this a priority. Eradicating child labour requires long-term commitment and strict law enforcement," he added.
Julia Jesmin said child labour was most common in small-scale industries, workshops and restaurants rather than large factories.
"In our country, financial insecurity is widespread. To combat child labour, we need financial support, stronger laws and more social awareness,” she added.
Full eradication remained challenging, the DIFE official said, adding that children aged 14-17 were allowed to work under certain conditions, but employers often disregarded these regulations.
Julia mentioned that DIFE inspected factories and discouraged the use of child labour for heavy and hazardous tasks, additionally organizing meetings, workshops and training programs.
At a recent National Child Labour Welfare Council meeting, Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, labour and employment advisor in the interim government, said the government was determined to eliminate child labour across all sectors.
He urged that in order to achieve this goal, all relevant agencies and organizations fulfil their responsibilities sincerely. He added that a detailed action plan would be formulated through workshops.
