A child means affection and love. Owner-laborer, rich-poor, and king-fakir accounts do not apply here. All alone, the first stage of human life is called infancy. Even the child in the mother’s womb is considered a child. In the language of biology, the human child is the stage between birth and puberty. According to medical science, a fetus, or unborn child, is a child. A person who has attained puberty or has not yet entered puberty is known as a child. Children grow up with the love and maintenance of their parents and become the tools of society and country. But in society, we see unfortunate children like orphans, illegitimate children, street children, etc. Children who lose their parents after birth are identified as orphans; children born out of wedlock are illegitimate; and children who grow up on the streets without an address are identified as street children. These children are the most fortunate human beings in society. But the children of today are the complete people of tomorrow—social thinkers and builders of civilization. A child is a symbol of love and devotion. King-fakir, owner-laborer, and rich-poor accounting do not apply in this situation. The initial stage of human existence is known as infancy and occurs on its own. The term “child” includes the infant in the mother’s womb. The human kid is defined as the period between conception and puberty in biological terms. A fetus, or unborn child, is considered to be a child by medical science. A kid is a person who has reached puberty or who has not yet begun the puberty process. With their parents’ care and affection, children develop into the assets of their communities and nations. However, in society, we witness unfortunate kids like orphans, children born out of wedlock, children raised on the streets, etc. Children who lose both of their parents soon after birth are known as orphans; those born outside of marriage are known as illegitimates; and those who live on the streets without a home are known as street kids. These kids are among the luckiest people in the world. But the youngsters of today are the whole people of the future—social philosophers and civilization builders.
Child labor and children’s rights
All human children between the ages of 0 and 18 are referred to as children in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the government of Bangladesh’s Child Policy. Children make up 45 percent of the overall population in our nation, and 15 percent of them are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Despite the fact that there is no specific assessment of the number of impoverished street children, there are already more than 10 lakh of them. People who lack their basic rights Every nation in the world regards children’s rights as a core human right. The United Nations Charter explicitly states the rights of children. Bangladesh has signed this charter and is a member state of the United Nations. Children attend school in the majority of nations either under their parents’ direction or in accordance with the government’s policy of universal public education. Toddlers simulate play to make learning in the early years enjoyable. However, in less developed nations, children often have to work in order to make money for the struggle for survival. The general state of children in Bangladesh’s socioeconomic system is not very excellent. Many kids who live in poverty are denied their right to survival, physical and mental growth, and leisure. Due to a lack of alternatives, parents often place their kids in hazardous positions. Once again, disadvantaged kids are involved in dangerous behaviors on their own. They sometimes participate in numerous crimes. Addiction to drugs is a serious problem among kids. 85 percent of street kids are drug addicts, according to Shishu Adhikar Forum research. 20 percent of children have experienced physical abuse; 46 percent of female children have experienced sexual abuse; and 14.5 percent of children have experienced sexual abuse overall. Additionally, 44 percent of children smoke, 28 percent of children use pills, 8 percent of children inject drugs, and 80 percent of children labor to support themselves. Many people are abusing these helpless youngsters by performing awful acts. Children commit a variety of crimes, such as stealing, robbing, torching automobiles, hurling explosives, and drug smuggling, in exchange for a few dollars or two meals.
An evil in society is child labor. Child labor is defined as “child labor when any work or working environment becomes hazardous and harmful to the physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development of the child” by both the International Labor Organization and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Children under the age of 14 are engaged in child labor under the Bangladesh National Labor Act of 2006.
There are 120 million children on the globe between the ages of 5 and 14, according to the World Labor Organization. When it comes to child labor, Bangladesh comes in second place out of 140 nations. In accordance with a different ILO report, Bangladesh is home to 6.3 million child workers under the age of 18, which accounts for 5% of all child laborers worldwide. 65 percent of kids work in manufacturing and agriculture. 30% of kids have jobs to help the family. 17 percent of youngsters work in an environment that is polluted. The number of children working in hazardous jobs is significant, with more than half of the world’s 1.15 billion child workers engaged in mining, construction, agricultural, and industrial production. Asia and the Pacific account for 5.6% of youngsters working in dangerous conditions worldwide. The major cause of poverty in emerging nations like Bangladesh is child labor. 8 to 12 year olds work in a variety of manufacturing jobs. In Bangladesh, the informal economy and agriculture account for 94% of all child labor. Out of the 4.7 lakh child workers, children between the ages of 5 and 14 make up the majority.
In Keraniganj alone, there are 230,000 employees spread over 9,500 small and big enterprises, according to a study by the Bangladesh Labor Foundation (BLF). Children in the Workplace: Education and Child Labor These employees had an average age under 17 of 47 percent. Around 20 thousand of them are between the ages of five and fourteen, while 120 thousand are between the ages of five and seventeen. Most of the kids who labor at these facilities come from low-income homes. 90% of them are from places other than Dhaka. Children must thus be put to work in order for the family to make money. However, although they complete equivalent labor, minors are not required to be paid the same as adults. Many people use this chance to hire kids as workers. Children working in hazardous settings, earning non-structural salaries, and having variable labor hours are becoming common knowledge. In a typical season, children work an average of 13 hours every day. working a minimum of 16 hours each week throughout the season. Children’s mental and physical growth is hampered.
The reasons for child labor have been demonstrated to include poverty, a lack of family wage earners, parental desertion, illiteracy, migration from one region to another owing to natural catastrophes, etc. in research titled “Situation of Child Labor in Bangladesh.” On the other side, a parent may be forced to put their child to work because of heartbreak, poverty, an inability to pay for their child’s education, or the melancholy of a dysfunctional family. Additionally, the majority of child laborers are fatherless orphan youngsters. Buses, Launch Ghats, Hotels-Motels, Brickyards, Car Garages, Homes, Mills-Factories, Tobacco Industry, Chamra Industry, Station or Terminal Porters, Construction Workers, Shrimp Hatcheries, Salt Factories, Welding, and Spraying in different small and medium-sized firms throughout the nation Children labor at paint shops, car shops, and companies that make plastic. In Dhaka alone, more than 1.5 lakh kids are engaging in risky activities. But you don’t need statistics to know that reality is quite different. In our nation, children often labor in brick kilns, industries, public transportation, housing, restaurants, other companies, and agriculture. Because of the COVID-19 epidemic, child labor as a result of poverty has significantly expanded.
youngsters from working families
The largest percentage of individuals working in Bangladesh The majority of individuals invest in their work to support their lives. They live mostly hand-to-mouth. Some people have good financial situations, but the amount of labor they have to do makes it extremely challenging to care for their children. In order to find work, one must keep themselves active, like bees. The present problems with globalization make it impossible to make the essential investments in children’s education. This prospective aspiration for the next generation is therefore put to rest.
The work market is currently very unstable. Even with the employees’ just wages, security needs are not addressed. No employment is guaranteed. As a consequence, the employees’ mental health is not very good. There is a significant likelihood of turmoil in the home if males lack financial security. There is a great deal of marital strife as a result. It has an impact on their kids. When parents split up for a variety of reasons, the youngster begins to doubt their love. After a divorce, a child must grow up with only their mother’s or father’s affection. The youngster often needs to be separated from both parents’ affection. In this scenario, a family member or other person is in charge of raising the child. The victim feels humiliated. The child’s sole home is a brutal atmosphere devoid of family. Divorces rose by 17% in 2019 compared to 2018, according to statistics from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. In the two cities in 2020, there were 12, 000, 513 divorces. 4000,565 divorce petitions were filed in the four months from January to April 2021 (source: Daily Kalerkantho, June 26, 2021). Helpless children get physically and psychologically ill as a result of frequent separation. In order to prevent children from being denied their right to parenthood, it is the duty of society and the government to discourage divorce through counseling.
Most employees can survive on pitiful pay. They are thus forced to live alone in modest homes. The source of income is often a decision that both the husband and wife must make. Their offspring, therefore, grow up in isolation. A combined family may benefit from several things that a single family cannot. They have a variety of physical and mental issues, making adequate treatment impossible. Children are often the targets of sexual harassment. Some families depend on the assistance of childcare facilities. Everyone in a combined family expresses concern for the child’s issue. Loneliness does not affect children. There is no issue with nurturing excellent mental health. There is a sporting vibe. The idea of cooperating is developed. Neighborhood playgrounds are disappearing one by one. There are not enough recreational amenities. However, the child’s physical and cerebral growth is aided by the entertainment venues and sports environments. Such chances are denied to children. They thus have less opportunity to grow as a consequence.
In Bangladesh, urbanization is increasing. People from rural areas migrate to cities in search of employment in addition to calamities. Half of the world’s population will reside in cities over the next 30 years. The labor market has become unstable as a result of this migration to urban areas. The ability to overcome obstacles has facilitated easier living.
Children’s attempts to advance humankind
Today, hostile settings for a child’s growth are nothing new. Children are an issue across the globe. As a result, several initiatives have been implemented globally. To protect children’s rights, Children’s Day has been observed at various times in various nations. On April 23, 1920, Turkey held its inaugural commemoration of Children’s Day. The day was designated as Children’s Day by the UN in 1954. Since that time, other nations have observed November 20 as International Children’s Day. Once again, June 1 is International Children’s Day. However, various nations observe Children’s Day on different dates. In Bangladesh, it was determined in 1996 that the first Monday in October would be observed as World Children’s Day and that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s birthday would be observed on March 17 as Children’s Day. Children’s rights are extensively debated, new actions are initiated, and execution is also done on Children’s Day. However, the world as a whole does not completely uphold children’s rights. And Bangladesh is no different.
Since 2002, the International Labor Organization (ILO) of the United Nations has worked to safeguard children’s rights and end dangerous child labor. It’s “Anti-Labor Day,” which is celebrated. Every year on June 12, this day is observed in a number of nations, including Bangladesh. Despite the fact that child labor has been significantly reduced over the previous 20 years, fresh statistics indicate that the worldwide effort to eradicate child labor has stopped since 2016. Millions of children globally are now in danger of child labor as a result of the COVID-19 epidemic.
By 2025, the United Nations will have established specific goals for ending child labor. SDG Target 8.7 also asks for the prohibition of the worst kinds of child labor and the prompt and effective implementation of measures to prevent forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking. SDG goal 16.2 calls for the abolition of the use and exploitation of child labor as well as trafficking, violence, and other kinds of abuse.
Bangladesh’s social security system is still very fragmented, according to a UNICEF assessment. There are 130 programs that make up the social security system, most of which are unconnected. These initiatives have overlapping objectives, minimal funding, and insufficient coverage. A provision establishing child courts in each district of Bangladesh is part of both the Children’s Act, which went into effect in 2013, and the Children’s Act Amendment Bill, which Parliament passed in 2018. Due to a change to the Act, the Juvenile Court now has access to and may exercise the same legal authority as the Sessions Court. It seems to be a commendable effort to guarantee children’s wellbeing, protection, and rights and prepare them for nation-building.
In the present socioeconomic environment, ending child labor is a challenging undertaking. Every year on June 12, Child Labor Prevention Day is observed, but it hasn’t been feasible to stop kids from undertaking dangerous jobs. They are often used to soothe stomach irritability. Law or counsel cannot stop deficiency. providing work for impoverished parents; in this situation, modest enterprises might be set up. Changes must be made to one’s mental outlook. treating other people’s children as one’s own, increasing supervision, identifying locations where child labor is occurring, sanctioning business owners who employ children, and, most importantly, eradicating the scourge of child labor by putting into practice the laws that are in place to do so. It seems doable. Including young parents in government aid programs, providing skill development training to children, listing local garment manufacturers’ child workers on the government’s list of dangerous child laborers, and categorizing these factories as small-scale companies Additionally, the employment of minors in hazardous factory jobs should be outlawed, and domestic labor and the scrap industry should be added to the list of dangerous jobs. The implementation of child policy, complete implementation of ILO Convention 182, and ratification of ILO Convention 138 should be pushed forward in the rehabilitation and welfare of street children, disadvantaged children, and child workers in order to make child labor prevention programs effective. Without the growth of industries, a rise in output, and the spread of mass employment, poverty cannot be reduced. Again, if poverty is not eradicated, child labor cannot be ended.
Last but not least, universal access to a secure water supply is not yet achievable. Many people lack access to secure restrooms and facilities for washing their hands, despite significant advancements in sanitation. Sports, diet, education, and the child’s physical and emotional safety are other factors. It is difficult to recognize children with impairments due to a lack of training. For teenagers and children with disabilities, most schools in Bangladesh lack restroom facilities. Girls are sometimes compelled to leave school because of safety concerns and sexual harassment. The alternative education system has a lot of drawbacks. Investment in social protection for children is urgently needed. Children with disabilities should be considered in this. establishing a legislative framework and specific child policy in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international accords, and supporting the welfare of all children in the nation, particularly those who are less fortunate. Additionally, one of the primary goals of the project is to put good and encouraging social norms into reality, develop them, and reinforce them in order to stop abuse, torture, and exploitation of women and children in the project area. Each district level should identify and address the issues affecting children under the age of 14 in order to end child labor. Every youngster who works should have access to an education. The issues of child labor and rights should be widely publicized. The employer is responsible for ensuring that the employees’ children have access to a quality education. Aside from this, the owners should focus on boosting the employees’ understanding of health issues and eradicating biases from their thoughts. There should be more education for the child’s family. Religious instruction helps direct kids toward moral behavior. Religious teachings should be taught to children so they are not exposed to immoral actions like drug use. They should use caution while picking friends. In order to end child labor, social activities and awareness-raising campaigns must be enhanced.
Author: Poet and Researcher; Professor, Department of Islamic History and Culture, Rajshahi University
