Preventing and Eliminating the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Selected Formal
and Informal Sectors in Bangladesh
| Time-frame |
Donor(s) |
Duration: 5 years
Starting date: September 2000
Ending date: August 2005 |
US Department of Labour (USDOL) |
In September 2000, a four-year project funded by the US Department of Labour (USDOL) was launched to address the worst forms of child labour in five selected sectors (bidis, construction, leather tanneries, child domestic workers and matches). This sectoral project focused on children working in hazardous occupations, ranging from exposure to chemicals and other harmful substances to being subjected to long, tedious working hours. Building on the ILO-IPEC experience in Bangladesh and elsewhere and trying innovative approaches this project removed about 25,998 children from hazardous occupations in eight selected areas of Dhaka, Chittagong, Tangail, Rangpur, Kushtia, Narayanganj, Manikaganj and Mushiganj. Additionally, 19,635 children received non-formal education and 4071 children in the 13 - 17 age group received vocational skills training.
The project mobilized a broad alliance of governmental and non-governmental agencies, communities, employers, trade unions, parents and children to take collaborative action against hazardous child labour in the selected sectors. This was done through multipronged interventions, which resulted in the systematic identification withdrawal and rehabilitation of children engaged in hazardous labour and the prevention of younger children from entering the labour market. The project also put in place child labour monitoring system both in the workplace and in the communities.
The sectoral approach was progressively evolved into a combination of area-based and sector-based approaches under which the project addressed child labour issues in all the sectors in a particular region. When the interventions are focused on a particular sector, there is a risk of shifting child labour from that sector to another.
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