Child labor is defined as any work that exceeds the minimum number of hours for a child. In Bangladesh, 72.5% of child workers are classified as child laborers. Unfortunately, child labor has served as one of the only ways for poverty-ridden families to improve their quality of life. Child labor in Bangladesh remains prevalent and continues to harm children with injuries and low pay. 

Reasons

The leading cause of Bangladesh’s high child labor rate is poverty. In a study by Sylhet Agricultural University, poverty ranked as the number one cause of child labor. A child may be sent to factories to earn money for their parents and siblings. One child worker, Nuri, explained the pressure of her work, “I cannot stop working for a second, I get BDT 50 (57 US cents) for every sack of pebbles I produce. I can barely make two sacks a day. How do you expect me to eat?”

One can attribute they way children find work so easily to employers wanting to hire children instead of adults. Employers believe children are more effective workers, and children do not have to receive as much pay as adults, with their salary typically being around $2. The laborers know they can abuse the obedience and fear they instill in children, meaning they do not need to worry about high pay. Even if adults were wanted, this group has a high unemployment rate among this group due to urban migration. 

Many adults seek jobs that are more accommodating of their skills, leaving positions open and leading to a labor shortage in rural areas, with desperate children hoping to earn money being the only ones willing to take the position.

Scale

More than 2 million children from the ages of 5–17 are a part of child labor in Bangladesh. Approximately 47.5% of children had to seek work despite having two individuals in their household working paid jobs. Many children cannot receive an education because they must earn money to feed their families. About 32.5% of child laborers do not attend school and spend their days working. This can harm the future lives of families, as children who are pulled out of school never have the chance to receive proper education and perpetuate the cycle of poverty. Without an education, they often struggle to find a job that pays enough, forcing them to send their children to grueling workplaces to earn additional money for the family. The Sylhet Agricultural University found poor education in parents to cause child labor, ranking fourth among the causes.

Hazards

Several dangers come with child labor in Bangladesh. The most common are dangerous chemicals, such as formaldehyde, hydrogen sulfide and sulphuric acid. These chemicals are found in the materials used for leather and clothing and can shorten the lifespan of child workers. Other physical side effects can include musculoskeletal pain among child laborers, a result of severe physical burden. Nearly 60.14% of children in child labor have reported facing hazardous working conditions. 

Not many child laborers even get assistance in their recovery if injured, with 75% of children lacking medical attention at their jobs. These concerns over physical safety do not include the verbal abuse that comes with the jobs, as employers often scold children for being unable to keep up with their demands.

Industries

Agriculture is an industry that heavily relies on child labor, with a reported 1.08 million child laborers. With many people depending on agriculture, employers depend on workers to fill that need. Since agriculture takes place in rural areas, where children are looking for employment, it has led to many child laborers. 

The second most prominent industry for child labor is leather. This is an unregulated industry, as the places of operations are small and often hidden. Children are essential to these operations, with 96% of the process for producing leather in Bangladesh involving child laborers. The businesses ignore the abuse of the children and instead focus on the money, as the leather industry alone made up 3.5% of Bangladesh’s global exports. Given the large amount of money it produces, industries will always see child labor as essential. 

The Future

Several efforts have emerged to stop child labor in Bangladesh. One major attempt was the Minimum Age Convention which the Government of Bangladesh ratified to increase the threshold for the age at which a child can begin work. This is just one of the many steps the country is taking to eradicate child labor by 2025, a goal cited as a matter of national policy. 

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has been working with the Bangladesh government since 1994 to spread awareness on the issue and ensure laws are up to national standards. The ILO pushed for policies such as not allowing children under 14 to face harsh working conditions and has also promised to eradicate child labor in Bangladesh altogether. With efforts like this, there may be hope for improving the lives of millions of children who deserve better.

– Uzair Khan
Photo: Flickr