IPEC Action in Bangladesh
The National Steering Committee (NSC), constituted under the provisions of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed in 1994, includes members from the Ministry of Labour and Employment,
the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, the Ministry of Social Welfare,
the Ministry of Textile Manufacture, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
the NGO Affairs Bureau, employers' and workers' organizations, the ILO, and UNICEF.
IPEC activities in Bangladesh started in 1995 with the launch of the country programme. The overall development objective of the IPEC country programme in Bangladesh during the first stage (1995 - 99) was to identify strategies and workable models to combat child labour. It also aimed to build the capacity of Government employers' and workers' organizations, NGOs, and the other social partners to deal with the problem of child labour and it progressive elimination from society.
Initial interventions included an analysis of the child labour situation in Bangladesh, preventing children from entering the labour market, withdrawing children from hazardous work and providing them services to rehabilitate them; monitoring of workpalces; raising awareness and acapacity building of the partner organizations.
From 1995 - 1999, 75 action programmes were implemented under the IPEC country programme in Bangladesh throught he Government, NGOs and employers' and workers' organizations. More than 50,000 children benefitted directly or indirectly from these programmes. During the course of the first stage, several modalitites were developed to address child labour effectively. The sectoral approach was tested in the garments industry through the project. Monitoring and Verification of Chld Labour in the Bangladesh Garments Industry. It was successful inmany ways creating awareness within the sector against the use of children, establishing and implementing a child labour monitoring and verification programme and withdrawing children from work in the factories. By 2003, the IPEC country programme phased out smalled pilot intervention programmes and focussed on larger projects covering an entire sector, a particular geographical area or a combinatio of several sectors in a geographical region (i.e. a combinatio of area-specific and sector specific approaches) Three large projects were launched in 2000, with more focused and comprehensive action in addressing the worst forms of child labour in various hazardous sectors. To withdrawn children from hazardous work, a comprehensive strategy was employed that included mobilizing families and communities against child labour providing non-formal edcuation to former child labourers; mainstreaming non-formal school graduates in to formal schools; and providing families with alternative income generation opportunities through skills training and access to credit. In addition to these interventions, introducing child labour monitoring systems at workplaces and communities and involving the local governmetn and the community in regulating child labour contributes to addressing the worst forms of child labour in a sustained and holistic manner.
In addition in 2004, ILO-IPEC, UNICEF and the Asian Development Bank assisted the Government of Bangladesh in formulating a National Time-Bound Programme for the elimination of the worst forms of child labour. It was endorsed by the stakeholders in 2006 and in 2008. It was updated and endorsed again. Various child labour projects that are currently being implemented support the achievement of the National Time Bound Programme goals.
Overview of ongoing projects
Overview of recently concluded projects
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