BD's child labour increases by 4.54pc in 10 years

Bangladesh's child labour has increased by 4.54 per cent to 1.77 million in 10 years, official data showed on Wednesday.

Despite the upswing, the number of hazardous child labourers dropped to 1.068 million in 2022 from 1.280 million in 2013, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data.

The BBS on Wednesday unveiled its National Child Labour Survey 2022 at its office in the capital. The survey findings launching ceremony was presided over by BBS Director General Matiur Rahman, with Planning Minister MA Mannan and Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin among others in attendance.

The number of working children in Bangladesh, aged between 5-17 years, has risen to 39.96 million in 2022 from 39.65 million in 2013, as shown in the survey results.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.

ILO defines hazardous child labour as work that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children. It includes work in dangerous or unhealthy environments, such as mining, quarrying, agriculture, and manufacturing.

The BBS report said that the percentage of working children - children who are hired permanently as workers that prevent them from going to school and threats their physical and psychic health - has increased to 8.90 per cent in 2022, compared to 8.70 per cent recorded in the 2013 survey.

Additionally, the proportion of child labour has also increased from 4.30 per cent in 2013 to 4.40 per cent in 2022.

According to the BBS, nearly 3.70 million children are currently not engaged in any form of labour, which is a positive finding.

Out of a total of 1.77 million child labourers, 1.37 million are male and 0.40 million are female. Among hazardous child labourers, 1.07 million are male, while 0.17 million are female.

The BBS survey 2022 showed that 1.07 million children, among the child labourers, are engaged in agriculture, 1.19 million in the industry and 1.27 million in service sector jobs.

In June 2021, the United Nations said child labour has risen for the first time in 20 years, with one in 10 children in work worldwide and millions more at risk due to Covid.

Meanwhile, the ILO and the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the number of child labourers has increased to 160 million from 152 million in 2016, with the greatest rise in Africa due to population growth, crises and poverty.

kabirhumayan10@gmial.com