Bangladesh would revise Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 to align with international standards as part of efforts to eliminate child labour, said Labour and Employment Secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman on Monday.
He also said that there are many street children in Dhaka who fall prey to various addictions, and it is the state鈥檚 responsibility to ensure that they attend school instead of working.聽
He was speaking at an event titled 鈥楽haring of Experience; Coordination Meeting between Government and Stakeholders鈥�, jointly organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the International Labour Organisation, and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments in a hotel in the capital on Monday.聽
鈥楽ince 1990, the government has made primary education compulsory and started providing stipends to encourage children to stay in school,鈥� he added.
He also urged the 48 non-governmental organisations, along with development partners and government agencies, to build a social movement against child labour.
He also highlighted the government鈥檚 initiatives aimed at eliminating child labour.
Zaheda Parveen, Cabinet Secretary (Coordination and Reforms), stated that poverty is the root cause of child labour, and a high-level committee has been formed to instruct field-level officials to take effective measures.
Syeda Munira Sultana, Senior Programme Officer at the International Labour Organisation, stated that Bangladesh has ratified the ILO Convention 138 (Minimum Age) and Convention 182 (Worst Forms of Child Labour).
鈥楾he ILO has been observing the World Day Against Child Labour globally since 2004, and our support to Bangladesh in its efforts to eliminate child labour would continue,鈥� she added.
Representatives from various NGOs also shared their ongoing initiatives at the event.
Additional Secretary Fahmida Akhter chaired the event, which was attended by government officials, representatives from the ILO, GIZ, UNICEF, and various NGOs.