Child labour: Much more needed to ensure safety

Bangladesh envisions eradicating child labour by the year 2015. However, implementation of such a plan seems difficult as neither the government nor NGOs have a definite knowledge of child labour conditions and status in the country.

Statistically, at least 6.5 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are employed, and 40% of them are employed in hazardous jobs. The term "hazardous" has not been clearly defined.

Children in hazardous work

Despite the existence of laws against Child labour, which prohibit employment of children under 14 in any workplace, under age employment of children in various forms is rampant in the country. A report was published on 17th September,2010 in Bangladesh newspaper named 'Daily Star' that highlights a vivid picture of how children are working under the most hazardous conditions to earn for their families.

The report shows children working 14 hours a day at the workshops to make bathroom fittings from brass at extremely high temperatures. And it is not the temperature, which is around 900 degrees Celsius that is damaging to the worker children's health, the toxic vapour that the molten metal emits and is inhaled by them do also cripple the respiratory system of the worker exposed to it. And one need not be an expert to understand what such exposures to the extreme heat and toxic fume can do to the children if they have to work for years in these factories.