Nuri is an eleven-year-old child who is forced to break bricks to survive. She has to break bricks sitting under the scorching sun throughout the day and night, completely ignoring her fatigue, bruises only to barely make it out the day. She is infact not the only child in Bangladesh to do this type of task and related to it. Many other children in Bangladesh have to do works which are mainly for the adults to do because their parents are not aware of the dangers related to it. Again there are not adequate laws and policies to prevent child labor. Moreover, there are not enough job sectors for adult members, leading to child labor. All this is because for government’s failure to give proper education, implement adequate laws and policies, and provide employment opportunities to families.
Firstly, the government is failing to make people aware of education. Illiteracy is causing major issues in supporting child labor. Parents who are poor see education as a hassle, and they think that adult work is suitable and beneficial for them. According to the National Child Labor Policy (2007), some major reasons behind children working in dangerous and hazardous workplaces are due to poverty and lack of education. Over 17% of children are deprived of education as their parents are unaware of its importance, and for that, they prioritize fieldwork. Again, education in schools and colleges is increasingly expensive, yet the government takes little to no action to address this issue. Because of this high expense, parents could not send their children to school. For that, they settle for child labor. A report from the Centre for Policy Dialogue notes that Bangladesh’s per capita expenditure on primary education decreased from USD 161 in 2021 to USD 149 in 2022, raising concerns about the adequacy of public funding. Therefore, it is the government’s fault for not properly spreading and managing education to the public.
Secondly, child labor is prevalent because of the lack of implementation of laws and policies. Because of corruption and lack of responsibility and accountability, child labor is generally overlooked. According to a report by the US Department of State Highlights (2023), government corruption is persistent because the officials frequently engage in corrupt practices. Because of these practices, the implementation of abolishing child labor is overlooked. The cycle of child labor continues as there is no adequate amount of resources and training facilities. A report by UNICEF (2024) identifies several factors contributing to poor learning which include lack of resources and an insufficient amount of trained teachers. These sorts of problems push a child to work for their family. In conclusion, these examples highlight how corruption, lack of accountability and inadequate training continue to hinder the enforcement of child labor in Bangladesh.
Thirdly, the government’s incapability to manage employment facilities for family members is making it difficult to abolish child labor practices. High unemployment rates among adults are causing child labor to be deeply rooted in society. According to a report by the World Bank(2024), the unemployment rate in Bangladesh averaged 3.78 percent from 1991 to 2023, reaching an all-time high of 5.3 percent in 2020. This shows how many families are unemployed and cannot but make their children work to survive. Moreover, limited access to skill development programs for adults is making it difficult for the seniors of the family to start earning a living, inevitably relying on other methods to survive, including child labor. An article by the International Trade Administration(2024) shows that less than 10% of people in Bangladesh have access to vocational training. Because of limited vocational training, people cannot gain skills for a particular job they want to get and maintain their family.
To conclude, child labor persists due to the government’s failure to raise awareness about the importance of education, the lack of implementation of laws and policies against child labor, and the inability to manage employment facilities for family members. In order to stop child labor, the government should fund education so that it is free and available for all children. The government should also mitigate corruption and arrange vocational training for adults in order to maintain strict laws and policies against child labor. Finally, the government must solve the unemployment crisis by creating new jobs and honing the skills of adults by creating skill development programs. No child should lose their innocence and dreams to hardship. It’s high time to break the cycle of child labor and give children like Nuri the future they deserve.