Child labour on way up in Noakhali
Thursday, 4 November 2010
A Correspondent
NOAKHALI, Nov 3: Child labour is increasing by leaps and bounds in Noakhali while numerous boys and girls of tender age are growing up to uncertain future at all the upazilas in the district. They are involving themselves with various unsocial activities and misdeeds endangering their lives and families.
Everyday scores of underaged children of 12 to 13 years are seen loitering aimlessly from dawn to dusk at hats and markets and other places.
A lot of these kinds of children are seen picking up old papers rubbishes, scraps, and neglected polythene goods, plastics, cans and bottles.
They collect these waste materials from roads or backyards of hotels and restaurants as well as residential areas or hats and markets of municipalities to sell them to scrap venders for small money with which they either purchase food for the family or allegedly take smoke, hemp etc.
These little boys and girls are seen roaming around railway stations, bus stands, slums, and remote areas of all the upazilas especially at Choumuhani pourashava areas.
Sometimes, they get involved in pilferage, pick-pocketing and snatching. Very often, they are caught red handed by the people and receive beatings. They become criminals when they grow up to their maturity.
Many small children are seen working in hotels, restaurants tea stalls, workshops, garages or houses for some food with no money to keep body and soul together as their parents cannot feed them two squire meals a day.
However, despite government's ban on child labor a great many underaged boys and girls are engaged in tea stalls all day or night round. It is alleged that the employers do not give them suitable food and rather torture them mercilessly following any lapse on their part and drive them out without paying remuneration.
When visited the villages of Norottopurm, Lalpur, Mrwarishpurk Rasulpur and Durgapur, Gonipur under Begumgonj Upazila, was found that uncared for minor children were passing their days in playing crickets or football in roads and sidewalks without attending school or madrasha.
NOAKHALI, Nov 3: Child labour is increasing by leaps and bounds in Noakhali while numerous boys and girls of tender age are growing up to uncertain future at all the upazilas in the district. They are involving themselves with various unsocial activities and misdeeds endangering their lives and families.
Everyday scores of underaged children of 12 to 13 years are seen loitering aimlessly from dawn to dusk at hats and markets and other places.
A lot of these kinds of children are seen picking up old papers rubbishes, scraps, and neglected polythene goods, plastics, cans and bottles.
They collect these waste materials from roads or backyards of hotels and restaurants as well as residential areas or hats and markets of municipalities to sell them to scrap venders for small money with which they either purchase food for the family or allegedly take smoke, hemp etc.
These little boys and girls are seen roaming around railway stations, bus stands, slums, and remote areas of all the upazilas especially at Choumuhani pourashava areas.
Sometimes, they get involved in pilferage, pick-pocketing and snatching. Very often, they are caught red handed by the people and receive beatings. They become criminals when they grow up to their maturity.
Many small children are seen working in hotels, restaurants tea stalls, workshops, garages or houses for some food with no money to keep body and soul together as their parents cannot feed them two squire meals a day.
However, despite government's ban on child labor a great many underaged boys and girls are engaged in tea stalls all day or night round. It is alleged that the employers do not give them suitable food and rather torture them mercilessly following any lapse on their part and drive them out without paying remuneration.
When visited the villages of Norottopurm, Lalpur, Mrwarishpurk Rasulpur and Durgapur, Gonipur under Begumgonj Upazila, was found that uncared for minor children were passing their days in playing crickets or football in roads and sidewalks without attending school or madrasha.