Bangladesh marks ‘World Day Against Child Labour’
Bangladesh is observing the World Day Against Child Labour today amid renewed calls to strengthen efforts to protect children from exploitation and ensure their rights to education, safety and a dignified future.
The observance is being marked under the global theme, “Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults,” which emphasises the importance of quality education, social protection, decent employment opportunities for adults and effective enforcement of labour laws to prevent child labour.
Government agencies, international organisations, labour rights groups and civil society bodies are holding discussions, awareness campaigns and advocacy programmes across the country to promote greater action against child labour.
The day is being observed against the backdrop of continued global concern over the persistence of child labour. According to estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, around 138 million children worldwide remain engaged in child labour, including nearly 54 million involved in hazardous work that poses serious risks to their health, safety and development.
The international community has also fallen short of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of eliminating child labour by 2025, increasing pressure on governments and stakeholders to intensify efforts to address the issue.
Labour rights advocates in Bangladesh said that although progress has been made in reducing child labour, many children are still employed in informal sectors, often sacrificing their education and overall well-being.
They stressed the need for stricter monitoring mechanisms, stronger implementation of existing laws and increased investment in education and social protection initiatives to address the root causes of child labour.
The World Day Against Child Labour was established by the ILO in 2002 and has since been observed annually on June 12 to raise awareness and mobilise action against child labour worldwide.
On the occasion, stakeholders called for coordinated efforts by governments, employers, workers, communities and families to ensure that every child can enjoy a childhood free from labour and exercise their fundamental rights to education, protection and development.
