'Children in Bangladesh are subjected to worst forms of child labour'

Children in Bangladesh are subjected to the worst forms of child labour, the US Department of Labor said in its new report published recently.

The department’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs in its 21st edition of the ‘Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor,’ said the children in Bangladesh faced commercial sexual exploitation and forced labour in the drying of fish and the production of bricks. 

They also perform dangerous tasks in the production of garments and leather goods, the report added.

The report focuses on the efforts of certain US trade beneficiary countries and territories to eliminate the worst forms of child labour through legislation, enforcement mechanisms, policies and social programmes.

Bangladesh Labour Act does not apply to the informal sector, in which most child labour in Bangladesh occurs, the US Department of Labor said.

In addition, penalties for child labour violations can only be imposed after a lengthy legal process and, when courts do impose them, the fines are too low to deter child labour law violations.

Noting that Bangladesh government did not publicly release information on its criminal law enforcement efforts related to child labour, the report said in 2021, Bangladesh made moderate advancements in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child labour.

In early 2022, the government ratified International Labor Organization Convention No. 138: Convention Concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment and the International Labor Organization Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labor Convention.

Also, it removed 5,088 children in vulnerable situations from 23 districts through labour inspections, the report said.