Children are like flowers. Every child comes into the world with the claim of being a footballer and developing beautifully according to the flower, but due to unequal distribution of wealth and social inequality, most of the children in the third world fail to get a favorable opportunity for development. Their young hands became tools of labor. The latent talents wither and fall off. Bad society and inhumane state apparatus i.e. government is pushing the nation backwards without exposing the potential of innocent children. As one of the poorest countries in the third world, child labor in Bangladesh is at an inhumane level.
In general, those who are immature are children. Any activity that provides them with livelihood is called child labor. Childhood is officially recognized in Bangladesh up to the age of eighteen. The International Labor Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) have banned people from engaging in any form of physical or mental labor until the age of 18, calling it "child labor". The Government of Bangladesh has signed the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and has declared a National Child Policy.
Child labor is widespread in Bangladesh. And the main cause of child labor in Bangladesh is extreme poverty. Many parents send their children to work instead of going to school because of insecurity. Children are employed in hard work, factories, markets and household chores. The field of child labor is quite widespread in this country. The children are engaged in various activities ranging from small mills to breaking stones, selling various items by ferry, driving rickshaws etc. Nowadays, children are also being employed in the bone-crushing work of the garment industry. Besides, children are the main workers in the household work of the city dwellers. Thus, millions of children in Bangladesh are living a dehumanized life due to lack of proper care and education. In Dhaka city alone, there are about 20 lakh slum dwellers and floating lakes. More than half of them are children. They are almost all laborers.
About 30% of the population of Bangladesh is under 18 years of age. On the other hand, 48 percent of the country's population is now living below the poverty line. These poverty-stricken mothers and fathers force their children to take up labor due to poverty. Besides, the parents of this country send their children to work at an early age as there is no job security after receiving education. Political disasters, natural disasters, and the brutal behavior of unruly parents are largely responsible for this problem. Family size and overpopulation are also major causes of this problem. In a family where there are many children, the family will not survive if the children are not raised to support the family. As a result, the growth rate of child labor has been steadily increasing.
Children work everywhere. Sometimes they are involved in more risky work than adults. Some children go abroad or are sent abroad for labor. Some of the children in the village contribute to the family earning work. Many are sent to the homes of well-to-do people. While their young earnings do not alleviate the poverty of their parents, they do alleviate some of the hardships. They do all the household chores from raising cattle in the field along with the farmer-master. Even if they work hard in the rain, they are not given food, begging and affection according to their physical and social development. The workplace of urban child labor is complex and extensive. Factories, garments, garages, shops are full of child laborers. In many cases, working hours, work environment and type of work are risky for healthy normal people. But the children are working in these cases with difficulty. A large number of children work in the homes of people working as boys or girls. In the jinjira and dhaleikhal industries of Dhaka, 80 per cent of the workforce is children.
At the age when children are supposed to go to school with books, forget the world with innocent smiles, children have to be engaged in hard labor. They are deprived of basic human rights even when they are born in a human home. The son or daughter of the housework of educated people does not get a little sweet language, so much leisure, little begging or even the opportunity of healthy accommodation. From morning till late at night, they run here and there according to the spider's web. They fall from the earth one day under the weight of long accumulated fatigue. Otherwise, he grows up with a slender body and faces an embarrassing career. Children risk their lives working in a woodwork workshop or welding factory. Child laborers working in chemical factories are on the verge of certain death. Unspeakable physical and mental torture is inflicted on child laborers everywhere.
Things to do to stop child labor:
It is very important to do the following things to stop child labor:
1. The law on child and women abuse enacted by the government must be strictly enforced.
2. Everyone must respect international law and principles in the field of child labor.
3. Poor parents need to be able to reduce their dependence on their children through financial assistance.
4. People from all walks of life should be involved in the anti-child labor social movement.
5. We need to show affection towards children as a whole.
6.‘Effective measures need to be taken to enroll and retain every child in school under the Education for All program.
7.Punishment for child labor should be provided.
8.New laws should be enacted to curb child abuse and opportunities should be created so that children can benefit from that law.
It is to be hoped that in order to eradicate child labor, the government has provided employment to 5,000 parents of child laborers in the fiscal year 2008-09 by providing micro-loans worth Tk 3.56 crore.
Today's children are the citizens of tomorrow, the welfare of the country depends on them. It is the responsibility of all of us to spread the fragrance of innocent children and give them the opportunity to develop their lives. However, the responsibility of the government is the most. The nation can be freed from the curse of child labor only if the government takes strict measures in this regard. However, the government as well as every conscious citizen should play a role in discouraging child labor. In particular, the issue of non-employment of children must be complied with. We should all ensure a conducive environment for children.
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