World Day Against Child Labour today

The World Day Against Child Labour is being observed in the country as elsewhere in the world today (Saturday).

Marking the day, President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages.

They called upon all concerned including private organisations, media, national and international agencies alongside the government to play a further effective role in making institutional and non-institutional sectors free from child labour.

In his message, President Abdul Hamid said this year the World Day Against Child Labour bears special significance as the United Nations has declared the year 2021 as International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour.

He said child labour is a national problem. There is no alternative to make children as able citizens of the country ensuring their welfare in building a developed and prosperous Bangladesh, he said.

The President said that is why proper upbringing of children should be ensured providing them compulsory education after eliminating child labour.

Bangladesh is celebrating golden jubilee of independence and birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman this year, he said.

In a separate message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government is pledge-bound to ensure education, safety and sound health of the country’s future generation or children.

The premier said Bangladesh has ratified the United Nations charter on child rights, the ILO convention on prevention and elimination of hazardous child labour.

“We have formulated the National Child Labour Elimination Policy-2010 to prevent child labour,” she said.

She said the country will have to be freed from all kinds of child labour by 2025 to achieve SDGs.

The tenure of National Action Plan has been specified till 2025 ahead of SDG, she added.

She said National Child Labour Welfare Council has been working to implement the action plan.

The government has formulated Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy 2015 to ensure rights of children working as household activities, she said.

She said the Labour and Employment Ministry has been working to strengthen the capacity of divisional, district and upazila committees in eliminating child labour.

Eight sectors have so far been declared as child labour free, she said, adding that a list of 38 types of hazardous jobs for children has been published after identification and the efforts are underway to update the list while children are being withdrawn from hazardous jobs and given vocational and technical education.

The President and the Prime Minister wished success of all programmes marking the World Day Against Child Labour.