World Day Against Child Labour Today
Vow to end hazardous labour
World Day Against Child Labour 2011, being observed today through numerous seminars and discussions, has little effect in the lives of these children toiling at Jamalkhan in the port city of Chittagong yesterday to earn their daily bread. Photo: Anurup Kanti Das
The country will observe today the 10th World Day Against Child Labour with a vow to eliminate the worst forms of child labour within the next five years. With this year's theme "Warning! Children in hazardous work: End child labour", the day will be observed by a number of organisations led by the labour and employment ministry. The ministries concerned, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Unicef, Save the Children, Manusher Jonno Foundation, Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, and Together with Working Children will jointly observe the day. The organisations, on the eve of the day, held a news conference at the Jatiya Press Club in the city yesterday. "The government is determined to address the worst and hazardous forms of child labour by 2016 and hope to achieve the goal by this time," said Abdur Razzaque, joint secretary of the labour ministry, presenting the keynote paper. He said, "The government has already recruited consultants for making an action plan to implement the National Child Labour Elimination Policy in a bid to eliminate child labour especially its hazardous forms." ILO Director General Juan Somavia, in a message on the occasion, urged for a renewed effort to ensure all children below minimum age of employment are in education and are not exposed to hazardous work, and to strengthen workplace safety and health system of workers. Sophea Mar, chief technical adviser of ILO, emphasised effective and efficient enforcement of relevant acts and implementation of the policies to eliminate the worst forms of child labour within the stipulated time. ILO Country Director Andre Bogui, Unicef Communication Specialist Badrul Hassan, and Farzana Naeem, among others, attended the press conference.
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