Child labour deserves special attention

CHILD LABOUR should be eradicated. As we have been longing for abolition of child marriages, we should prioritise eradication of child labour in our development agenda, more so because the country is marching forward on the road to progress and prosperity and is about to become a middle income country by 2021. Now is the time when the issue of child labour should be addressed with all earnestness. Child labor is found in agriculture, poultry breeding, fish processing, garment sector, vehicle repairing workshops, hotels and restaurants, the leather industry and almost in every sector.

It is indeed sad to find innocent children working hard for negligible wages when they should be at schools enjoying their studies in the classrooms or in playgrounds playing with friends. Child labour is a common phenomenon even in Dhaka city where children are being engaged in physically strenuous and hazardous jobs. Around 5.0 million children of our country are known to have been working as child labour. We must stop this cruelty against children. The whole country should come forward and help these hapless children have a better childhood so that they too can become worthy citizens of the country in course of time. Transparency must be ensured in this field and laws of the land regarding child labour must be enforced. If found inadequate, the existing laws should be amended and further stiffened. It is high time we fought against child labour and ensureed a better future for our children vis-à-vis the nation as a whole.

Sojol Chowdhury

Badda, Dhaka