National Legislation and Policies Against Child Labour
in Bangladesh
Legislation
Article 20 of the Constitution refers to work as a right and a duty and a matter of honour of revery citizen who is capable of working. Article 28 of the Constitution empowers the State to make special provisions for the benefit of children.
The Government of Bangladesh through the Ministry of Labour and Employment has reviewed
all fragmented laws related to child labour with a view to fixing a uniform age for admission to
work and to prohibit their engagement in hazardous occupations. According to the Labour Act (2006)
the minimum age for admission to work is 14 years and 18 years for hazardous work. Further, light work
for children between the ages of 12 - 14 years is defined as non-hazardous work that does not impede education.
Other laws that define the rights and protections due to children are:
- The Children Act (1974) and the Children Rules (1976);
- The Bonded Labour Act, 2006;
- The Suppression of Violence against Women and Children Act (2000); and
- The Compulsory Primary Education Act, 1990.
ILO and UN Conventions
Bangladesh has ratified:
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;
- ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour (No. 182);
- ILO Night Work of Young Persons (Industry) Convention, (No. 6);
- ILO Night Work of Young Persons (Industry Revised) Convention (No. 90);
- ILO Minimum Age (Trimmers and Stockers) Convention (No. 15);
- ILO Minimum Age (Industry Revised) Convention (No. 59);
- ILO Forced Labour Convention (No. 29);
- ILO Abolition of Forced Labour Convention (No. 105);
National policies and programmes
As a result of various research studies, there was awareness of child labour in the 1990s within the Government and civil society and several initiatives to combat the problem were taken by the Government of Bangladesh. In 1990, Bangladesh became a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the ensuing Summit Declaration and Plan of Action. In the same year, Bangladesh passed the Primary Education Act and, in 1993, it established the compulsory primary education system for children aged 6 years and above. At the same time, the Government adopted the National Children Policy and formulated the first National Plan of Action for Children (1991 - 96). The child labour problem was however, first identified in the second National Plan of Action for Children (1997 - 2002).
In collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), the Government started the Food for Education Programme in 1993 with the aim to attract poor children and their families to primary education. With the setting-up of the Primary and Mass Education Division in 1992 and the Directorate of Non-Formal Education in 1996, the Government introduced another initiative to tackle the high drop out and low attendance rates in the formal school system.
In March 2001, the Government ratified ILO Convention No. 182 and that year, the Ministry of Labour and Employment initiated the development of National Policy on Child Labour. The Third National Plan of Action for Children (2004 - 09) addresses the issue of the worst forms of child labour and provides information on planned interventions for the next five-year period.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has also implemented a USAID funded project aimed at the Eradication of Hazardous Labour in Bangladesh. Interventions under this project, which covers areas in Dhaka and Chittagong Municipal Corporations, included non-formal education and skills training for working children and micro-credit support to their guardians/parents.
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