Md Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, state minister for labour and employment said social movement is crucial to eradicate child labor. The state minister made this remark while participating in the departmental workshop on the elimination of child labor held in Dhaka on Wednesday.
Nazrul said that after gaining independence, Bangabandhu nationalized all the industries with emphasis on the welfare and rights of working people, joined the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 1972 and with his sole efforts, Bangladesh got the membership of the ILO.
Noting that Bangladesh has made incredible progress in eradicating child labor in the last few decades, brave freedom fighter Mohammad Nazrul Islam Chowdhury MP said the government has already formally ratified ILO Convention 138. A national policy to eliminate child labor has been approved in line with international laws and regulations including ILO Convention, UNCRC, Labor Act 2006. Gazette notification has been issued to ban child labor by declaring 43 sectors as vulnerable.
The state minister also said that about one lakh children will receive 06 (six) months of non-formal education) through the ‘Elimination of Hazardous Child Labor in Bangladesh (Phase 4)’ project at a cost of Tk 284.49 crore by the Ministry of Labor and Employment. Finally, the state minister urged people from all walks of life to be sincere in eliminating child labor along with government initiatives.
