8.86% of children engaged in labour market

Special Correspondent

Publisted at 6:35 PM, Thu Mar 14th, 2024

About 3.54 million children aged between 5 and 17 years in the country are engaged in the labour market, which accounts for 8.86% of the total 39.96 million children.

Of these, 1.78 million are currently employed as child laborers, and 1.07 million are working under hazardous conditions, according to the National Child Labour Survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

The BBS published the survey report during a dissemination ceremony held at the BBS auditorium on Thursday (14 March).

State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker was present as the chief guest, while BBS Director General Mizanur Rahman chaired the event.

Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr. Shahnaz Arefin, along with Country Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Bangladesh Toumo Poutianen, among others, spoke at the event.

At the programme, the BBS unveiled another report titled the establishment-based sector-wise Working Children Survey 2023, which revealed that 38,008 children are engaged in the five most hazardous sectors.

Saddam Hussain, the focal point officer of the survey, highlighted the outcome of the survey on the occasion. He stated that a total of 24,923 children are working under hazardous conditions as child labourers in automobile workshops in the country, while 5,281 are in the manufacturing of leather footwear sector.

Furthermore, 4,099 children in Bangladesh are working in welding or as gas burner mechanics, 898 in dry fish production, and 2,805 in informal and local tailoring and clothing sectors, according to the BBS.

The report also indicates that around 40,525 establishments in the top most hazardous sector employ children as labourers.

According to the report, 97.6% of all children working in hazardous sectors are boys, while 2.4% are girls. A regional breakdown shows that 64.3% of hazardous child laborers live in urban areas, while 35.7% reside in rural areas.

BBS officials stated that the government has identified 43 sectors as hazardous for child labour. The survey, conducted with support from the ILO, aimed to collect data on child labour force, employment, unemployment, and their income.

The survey found that around 19.1% of boys and 7.7% of girls are engaged in carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy loads.

Approximately 20.2% of children are exposed to fire, hot appliances, or dangerous electrical equipment, while 31.1% work in jobs where breathing is restricted due to dust, fumes, or fumes.

Moreover, 14.8% of children work in the sun for long hours without breaks, and a small number are exposed to pesticides and other chemicals.

The survey found that more than half of child labourers earn a monthly wage of up to Tk5,000 or lower, with around 28.7% earning Tk10,000 or lower each month. Only 1.4% of children earn over Tk10,000 per month.

BBS officials emphasised that the report would help the government formulate and implement policies to meet the global commitment of eliminating all types of child labour by 2025.

The findings of the report will also support the measurement of the implementation of SDG-8, decent work, and economic growth.

The BBS conducted the national child labour survey with a sample of 30,816 households from 1,284 Primary Sampling Units (PSUs).

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