BD among countries suspected of using kids in production sectors

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Jasim Khan
Bangladesh textile, leather and footwear sectors were included as being suspected of producing items with child labour, the US Bureau of International Labour Affairs (ILAB) recently reported.
The report titled "The Departments of Labours 2011 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labour" released at the end of last month, said Bangladeshi goods especially in textile, leather and footwear sectors were suspected of using child or forced labour.
However, although leather, footwear and textile sectors were included as being suspected of using child labour, the country's main export earner readymade garments (RMG) and frozen foods have been excluded from the list.
The list, prepared with the US Department of Labour, includes a list of goods from countries that ILAB has reasons to believe are producing those with child labour or forced labour, in violation of international standards, Hilda L. Solis, US Secretary of Labour said in the footnote of the report.
The report did not reveal the level of child or forced labour involved, and the listing does not mean any punitive action or import curbs by the US.
Apart from Bangladesh, China, North Korea, and Ethiopia were also accused of violations of child labour use in the area of textile.
According to the report for the footwear sector, Brazil, China, India and Indonesia joined the suspicion lists along with Bangladesh.
"These reports remind us of what happens to the most vulnerable members of society when poverty and labour exploitation unite," said Hilda L. Solis said.
"The information in these reports is a vital tool in the effort to stop this abuse and can have an enormous impact on those who want to join efforts to end these labour practices," the report added.
"In 2011, Bangladesh made a moderate advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour. Bangladesh passed the Human Trafficking Deterrence and Supression Act 2012, which makes trafficking (including labour trafficking) a capital offence," the report said
However, legal protections regarding child labour are limited and the capacity to enforce child labour laws remains weak, it said adding that Bangladesh maintains a low compulsory education age.
"Children in Bangladesh are engaged in the worst forms of child labour, primarily in dangerous activities in agriculture and domestic service," it said.
Industry leaders made mixed reactions on the report saying that most of the formal sectors of the country are now almost free from child labour. But the government officials have admitted to some loopholes and hoped that the situation would improve further.
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said Bangladesh garments industry was completely free of child labour.
He said BGMEA has created a model for the whole world when it began eliminating child labour from the RMG units.
"We rehabilitated the children. We arranged education for them. Some of them returned to factories after completing education and some have moved to other areas," he said.
Harunur Rashid, a footwear exporter, claimed that the report might have been prepared on the basis of assumption. He said when the ILO Convention was made effective, footwear exporters actively took steps and eliminated child labour from the sector.
He said the country's business community was concerned over child rights. "We are conscious about their rights. At the same time, I also think that we need to do more to protect and uphold their rights."
When asked Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, told the FE that the government was sincerely working to eliminate child labour from all the sectors.
She said it was quite difficult to eliminate child labour overnight. There were still about 30 per cent people below the poverty line and many of them were women and children, she added.
Chowdhury said the government has taken up some projects to withdraw 55,000 child labourers from risky working condition, and bring them back to normal life.
She said about 15 lakh to 20 lakh children were still involved in risky works. The government has formulated a Child Labour Elimination Policy to eradicate the social malady.
According to Save the Children, there are over 60 million children in Bangladesh, which is nearly 40 per cent of the country's total population. And half of these children continue to live below the poverty line.
Tariq-ul-Islam, secretary to the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, said although the government has been conducting massive campaign against child labour, the meance could not be eliminated fully.