We are disturbed to see State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnuzan Sufian quoting a 2013 survey of the Bureau of Statistics that the number of child workers in the country is 1.7 million.
For starters, the fact that there continue to be children in the millions working in Bangladesh is an issue in itself but in addition, with the Covid-19 pandemic wreaking havoc on livelihoods across the country and millions of newly poor families emerging as a consequence, there is immediate need to identify a more current number of children that are being forced to work.
It is bad enough that millions of children need to work, but more often than not, this work occurs in inhumane conditions with wages that are not fit even for basic survival. In other words, this is nothing but exploitation on the part of those employing these children, be they in fields or factories in terrible conditions.
The idea of building a “Smart Bangladesh” in less than two decades is arguably the most ambitious undertaking in our nation's history. But if we are to be recognized as a truly progressive and prosperous nation, there remain certain issues that we have no option to eliminate completely -- and child labour ranks near the very top.
Despite the stellar economic progress and numerous milestones achieved, particularly with regard to Digital Bangladesh, we remain some distance away from our ultimate ambition, and the presence of millions of children that continue to work in inhumane conditions should be a stark reminder of just how far behind we truly are.
