Lack of quality vocational education hinders child labour elimination: Experts

The lack of quality vocational education has been identified as one of the biggest obstacles to eliminating child labour in Bangladesh, according to experts and stakeholders.

They made this remark at a programme marking the World Day Against Child Labour in the capital on Monday under the theme "Red Card to Child Labour: Fair Play for Children, Decent Work for Adults".

The programme was jointly organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), the Child Labour Elimination Platform (CLEP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Speakers identified chronic poverty and economic vulnerability, a large informal economy, lack of quality and vocational education, social acceptance of child labour, migration and conflict, weak enforcement of labour laws, and complex supply chains as the key challenges to eradicating child labour in Bangladesh.

Among these, education and poverty are the main challenges, they said.

Labour and Employment minister Ariful Haque Choudhury attended the programme as the chief guest.

He stressed the need for a nationwide awareness campaign against child labour, saying pilot programmes in urban slums could provide sustainable solutions to the problem.

"We need to place greater emphasis on raising awareness against child labour. If we initiate pilot programmes in slum areas, we are likely to achieve better results," he said.

The minister also highlighted the role of religious institutions in changing social attitudes towards child labour.

Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafder chaired the event, while ILO Bangladesh Country Director Max Tunon was present as the special guest.

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Max Tunon said the ILO has been working with the government and its partners for decades to prevent and eliminate child labour by supporting national policies, strengthening institutions and improving data collection.

He noted that the number of working children in Bangladesh declined by nearly 50% between 2003 and 2013, but progress has slowed in recent years due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and continued economic hardship.

Tunon stressed the need to align compulsory education with the minimum legal age for employment by extending compulsory education to at least 14 years, ensuring that children remain in school instead of entering the workforce prematurely.

Educo Bangladesh Country Director Abdul Hamid said, "The number of child labourers in our country is not very high—around 1.7 million. Compared to the size of our national budget, child labour can be eliminated with proper planning and effective implementation.

He emphasised a sector-based approach to eliminating child labour and highlighted the collaborative initiatives being undertaken through the Child Labour Elimination Platform (CLEP) to accelerate progress towards a child labour-free Bangladesh.