Elimination of child labour in Bangladesh: Miles to go*****
Friday, 22 April 2011
Kamrun Nahar
Child labour is a reality in Bangladesh where over 30 per cent of its total population is still living below the poverty line and around 18 per cent are extreme poor. Poverty, ignorance, lack of awareness, bureaucratic complexity and lack of political will are among the obstacles to achieve Bangladesh's target to eliminate child labour by 2016. In a recent survey of US Labor Department, Bangladesh ranked second in the world in employing child labour after India among the 140 nations. The issue still remains a key challenge towards achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals and to ensure universal primary education for all. It not only harms the welfare of individual children but also slows down broader development work. Children forced out of school and into labour to help their families make ends meet are denied the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for gainful future employment. Forms of child labour such as domestic service, slavery or near slavery, hazardous occupations and sexual exploitations are all practiced in Bangladesh. Ninety-three per cent of the total child labourers are engaged in the informal sector which is not within the ambit of the Labour Law. As a result, a large number of children are subjected to exploitation. While childhood determines the path of the rest of a person's life, millions of children across the globe are deprived of education, healthcare, time to play, and the opportunity to be involved in decisions regarding their own lives. With 7.4 million children engaged in over 300 types of jobs, 49 of which are considered hazardous, child labour is still alarming in Bangladesh. Some 3.2 million children, of whom 1.3 million of aged between 5 and 17 years,are engaged in 49 types hazardous works that jeopardise the health, safety and morals of children, who accountfor nearly 40 per cent of Bangladesh's total population. These children engaged in hazardous works have never attended any school, whereas large numbers are drop outs before they reach grade III. A child caught in hazardous work in urban informal sectors is on an average 12 years old and works for 12 hours per day for very low wages, according to studies conducted by different groups working on child labour. The 2003 baseline survey on child labor showed some 5,500 children aged between 5 and 17 years work in 12,000 battery recharging and recycling establishments, 39,000 children of same age work in 28,000 welding establishments, 85,600 children work in the transport sector at over 10,000 locations across the country. Over 15,900 are engaged in automobile service sector. A 2005-2006 baseline survey showed that 4,21,000 children (overwhelmingly girl) work as domestic helps. There is no data on total number of children working in the agriculture sector. Though Bangladesh has made progress in the health sector, it needs to go a long way to establish health as a fundamental human rights for all. The presence of poverty, hazardous working conditions and lack of education seriously hinder the health and nutritional development of children. Poverty-stricken working children spend most of their day at work in insufficient light, poor ventilation, and often in close proximity to harmful chemicals or dangerous machinery. They work long hours, receive low wages, and have little time off for leisure or play. Their nutritional levels and health conditions are poor. Lower wages, easier to manage than adults and less capable of bargaining are the factors that lead Bangladesh to be in high demanding for child labour. It is observed that child labouris on the rise day by day due to poverty, increasing family dependency on children's earnings, high demand of child labour in the market, traditional practice, disadvantaged ethnicity and weak legal protection mechanisms. Poverty including a high rate of adult under and unemployment, deficiency in the quality of education, including the quantity and quality of education, insufficiency of law and policy enforcement, weak public institutions in terms of commitment and capacity and low levels of awareness about the causes of and consequences of (hazardous) child labour, social, religious and cultural perceptions in particular on gender, are the main reasons for increasing child labour in Bangladesh. A wide range of government, bilateral and multilateral and NGOs and civil society interventions have been taken to help protect the rights of children. The Children Act of 1974, the national children policy of 1994, Labour Act 2006, the national plan of action for children 2005-2010, as well as ratification of UN convention of the rights of the children and ILO conventions are testaments to the seriousness of the problem. But given the pervasiveness and persistence of child labour the national child labour elimination policy 2010 was approved to specifically implement the child labour elimination programmes. The main objective of the national plan of action on implementing the policy was to provide guidance and direction in initiating concrete interventions to make meaningful changes in the lives of children by withdrawing them from all forms of labour including the worst forms. An inter-agency working group was formed by the government to support preparation of the national plan of action to implement the child labour elimination policy 2010. Though the law prohibits child labour in the formal sector, there is no legal framework for children working in the informal sector which is 93 per cent of the total child labourers. But the government is not willing to sign ILO convention 138 which will set minimum age for employment. The lack of adequate legislative provisions relating to hazardous work is a particular concern. The enforcement of child labour legislation outside the export-oriented garment sector also remains a major challenge. Although many policies and programmes have been undertaken there are still insincerity in implementing those programmes and policies and enforcement of laws. Most government initiatives can be called at best rhetoric as enough resource is not allocated for implementing those programmes meant for addressing child labour. No government institutions are efficient enough to mobilise resources from donors, nor can use its limited resources effectively. Besides, there is insincerity about updating the database on the number of child workers as the government is still using an eight year old data on child labour in implementing its various programmes. The government's target of eliminating child labour from the country seems to be unrealistic within the stipulated time of 2016 since the government is yet to finalise the national plan of action and mobilise a budget of $92 million for the next five years as is proposed by the consulting team on the implementation of child labour elimination policy 2010. Recently labour and employment secretary has expressed his dismay over the process of NGO selection by his ministry to implement a government project on child labourwhere many parties are courting for the project money. The government has allocated $10 million for implementing the three-year project for rehabilitating 50,000 child workers. But the project initiated during the previous BNP regime is tainted by corruption. At that time each of the NGOs allegedly paid Tk 0.4 million to get the government project. The same project is going to be revived for which Tk 0.5 million is demanded from each NGO. The secretary has said that he would take stern action against the corrupt officials, if found any. Given the child labour situation in Bangladesh, the government needs to be more sincere on the issue. The bureaucrats need to look into the issueholistically as hazardous child labour kills future of teeming children of the country. It is important that the government finalises the list of hazardous jobs for children to implement its plan to eliminate child labour from the country. The finalisation of the list is a basic requirement for implementing the ILO convention 182 to which Bangladesh is party. The government also needs to put child labour on the priority list as it is hampering the national development process. A section of the bureaucrats do not see domestic work as hazardous which is a dangerous sign for the overall government effort as domestic child labourers are seriously vulnerable to exploitation and inhuman torture. Moreover, the government needs to curb corruption while implementing any national programme on child labour especially in its implementation of the child labour elimination policy. Monitoring system for the projects should be strengthened,inspection by the labour department inspectors needs to be intensified as they remain overtly busy with the export sector. Also number of inspectors needs to be increased from the present 72 personnel to cover the whole country. Above all, awareness among the poor parents about the impact of child labour, and sensitisationprogrammes for the employers, trade unions, community and civil society involving the mass media need to be initiated to launch a social movement against child labour in Bangladesh. ............................. The writer is Staff Reporter at The Financial Express
Child labour is a reality in Bangladesh where over 30 per cent of its total population is still living below the poverty line and around 18 per cent are extreme poor. Poverty, ignorance, lack of awareness, bureaucratic complexity and lack of political will are among the obstacles to achieve Bangladesh's target to eliminate child labour by 2016. In a recent survey of US Labor Department, Bangladesh ranked second in the world in employing child labour after India among the 140 nations. The issue still remains a key challenge towards achieving some of the Millennium Development Goals and to ensure universal primary education for all. It not only harms the welfare of individual children but also slows down broader development work. Children forced out of school and into labour to help their families make ends meet are denied the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed for gainful future employment. Forms of child labour such as domestic service, slavery or near slavery, hazardous occupations and sexual exploitations are all practiced in Bangladesh. Ninety-three per cent of the total child labourers are engaged in the informal sector which is not within the ambit of the Labour Law. As a result, a large number of children are subjected to exploitation. While childhood determines the path of the rest of a person's life, millions of children across the globe are deprived of education, healthcare, time to play, and the opportunity to be involved in decisions regarding their own lives. With 7.4 million children engaged in over 300 types of jobs, 49 of which are considered hazardous, child labour is still alarming in Bangladesh. Some 3.2 million children, of whom 1.3 million of aged between 5 and 17 years,are engaged in 49 types hazardous works that jeopardise the health, safety and morals of children, who accountfor nearly 40 per cent of Bangladesh's total population. These children engaged in hazardous works have never attended any school, whereas large numbers are drop outs before they reach grade III. A child caught in hazardous work in urban informal sectors is on an average 12 years old and works for 12 hours per day for very low wages, according to studies conducted by different groups working on child labour. The 2003 baseline survey on child labor showed some 5,500 children aged between 5 and 17 years work in 12,000 battery recharging and recycling establishments, 39,000 children of same age work in 28,000 welding establishments, 85,600 children work in the transport sector at over 10,000 locations across the country. Over 15,900 are engaged in automobile service sector. A 2005-2006 baseline survey showed that 4,21,000 children (overwhelmingly girl) work as domestic helps. There is no data on total number of children working in the agriculture sector. Though Bangladesh has made progress in the health sector, it needs to go a long way to establish health as a fundamental human rights for all. The presence of poverty, hazardous working conditions and lack of education seriously hinder the health and nutritional development of children. Poverty-stricken working children spend most of their day at work in insufficient light, poor ventilation, and often in close proximity to harmful chemicals or dangerous machinery. They work long hours, receive low wages, and have little time off for leisure or play. Their nutritional levels and health conditions are poor. Lower wages, easier to manage than adults and less capable of bargaining are the factors that lead Bangladesh to be in high demanding for child labour. It is observed that child labouris on the rise day by day due to poverty, increasing family dependency on children's earnings, high demand of child labour in the market, traditional practice, disadvantaged ethnicity and weak legal protection mechanisms. Poverty including a high rate of adult under and unemployment, deficiency in the quality of education, including the quantity and quality of education, insufficiency of law and policy enforcement, weak public institutions in terms of commitment and capacity and low levels of awareness about the causes of and consequences of (hazardous) child labour, social, religious and cultural perceptions in particular on gender, are the main reasons for increasing child labour in Bangladesh. A wide range of government, bilateral and multilateral and NGOs and civil society interventions have been taken to help protect the rights of children. The Children Act of 1974, the national children policy of 1994, Labour Act 2006, the national plan of action for children 2005-2010, as well as ratification of UN convention of the rights of the children and ILO conventions are testaments to the seriousness of the problem. But given the pervasiveness and persistence of child labour the national child labour elimination policy 2010 was approved to specifically implement the child labour elimination programmes. The main objective of the national plan of action on implementing the policy was to provide guidance and direction in initiating concrete interventions to make meaningful changes in the lives of children by withdrawing them from all forms of labour including the worst forms. An inter-agency working group was formed by the government to support preparation of the national plan of action to implement the child labour elimination policy 2010. Though the law prohibits child labour in the formal sector, there is no legal framework for children working in the informal sector which is 93 per cent of the total child labourers. But the government is not willing to sign ILO convention 138 which will set minimum age for employment. The lack of adequate legislative provisions relating to hazardous work is a particular concern. The enforcement of child labour legislation outside the export-oriented garment sector also remains a major challenge. Although many policies and programmes have been undertaken there are still insincerity in implementing those programmes and policies and enforcement of laws. Most government initiatives can be called at best rhetoric as enough resource is not allocated for implementing those programmes meant for addressing child labour. No government institutions are efficient enough to mobilise resources from donors, nor can use its limited resources effectively. Besides, there is insincerity about updating the database on the number of child workers as the government is still using an eight year old data on child labour in implementing its various programmes. The government's target of eliminating child labour from the country seems to be unrealistic within the stipulated time of 2016 since the government is yet to finalise the national plan of action and mobilise a budget of $92 million for the next five years as is proposed by the consulting team on the implementation of child labour elimination policy 2010. Recently labour and employment secretary has expressed his dismay over the process of NGO selection by his ministry to implement a government project on child labourwhere many parties are courting for the project money. The government has allocated $10 million for implementing the three-year project for rehabilitating 50,000 child workers. But the project initiated during the previous BNP regime is tainted by corruption. At that time each of the NGOs allegedly paid Tk 0.4 million to get the government project. The same project is going to be revived for which Tk 0.5 million is demanded from each NGO. The secretary has said that he would take stern action against the corrupt officials, if found any. Given the child labour situation in Bangladesh, the government needs to be more sincere on the issue. The bureaucrats need to look into the issueholistically as hazardous child labour kills future of teeming children of the country. It is important that the government finalises the list of hazardous jobs for children to implement its plan to eliminate child labour from the country. The finalisation of the list is a basic requirement for implementing the ILO convention 182 to which Bangladesh is party. The government also needs to put child labour on the priority list as it is hampering the national development process. A section of the bureaucrats do not see domestic work as hazardous which is a dangerous sign for the overall government effort as domestic child labourers are seriously vulnerable to exploitation and inhuman torture. Moreover, the government needs to curb corruption while implementing any national programme on child labour especially in its implementation of the child labour elimination policy. Monitoring system for the projects should be strengthened,inspection by the labour department inspectors needs to be intensified as they remain overtly busy with the export sector. Also number of inspectors needs to be increased from the present 72 personnel to cover the whole country. Above all, awareness among the poor parents about the impact of child labour, and sensitisationprogrammes for the employers, trade unions, community and civil society involving the mass media need to be initiated to launch a social movement against child labour in Bangladesh. ............................. The writer is Staff Reporter at The Financial Express