A study on Child Labour in Bangladesh under National and International Law

Abstract

Bangladesh is highly populated country in the world, density with 1033 people per square kilometer. It is 1, 44,498 square kilometers in total area with a population of more than 140 million. The population of Bangladesh, approximately 47% is under 16 year and 17% of population is under 5 years of age. The population growth rate is only 2.6% and literacy rate on the other hand approx. 70 percent. Bangladesh is land of village. Around 84.8% of the population is living in rural areas in Bangladesh, a mainly rural country. It is a land of agriculture, and more than half of the rural population has land. In contrast more than half of rural population does not have land. They are land less people. 75% of children under the age of 12 are suffering ideal and balance food. Among them, about 85% of the population lives below the poverty line. According to the Urban Research Center, 60% of the population of Dhaka city is living below the poverty line. Shortage food and political unrest, poverty, child labour, lack of awareness and uneducated people. Uneducated parents are making a large family with many members. As a result population is increasing in sharp way and generated a variety of social problems, the generation of child labour frequency increases. Child labour in Bangladesh has increased remarkably in recent years. Traditionally, many children have always engaged in farming in villages, the numbers of child labour has rapidly increased in industrial and commercial sector. Working children are neglected by some of the social groups in Bangladesh. Sometimes they become floating population. Existing law and act in Bangladesh, does not except child labour in any industry and other sector. The children in urban area are living on the streets or in overcrowded slums and squatter settlements. 700,000 people have children under the age of 15 who work in urban areas, which is 17 per cent of the total urban labour force. Industry, transportation, commerce, domestic service, metal and leather factories, construction and garment factories engaged 65% of total labour force. In rural areas, most children and their families mainly depended on agricultural work. Most of the working children do not have the opportunity to go to school. The children are treated as a cheap labour. They always face various types of problems like feeding, clothing, bad working condition, unfixed salary, lack of recreation, mental physical and sexual harassment as well. In this article I will describe regarding the hindrance behind this miserable situation. Keyword: Child labour, Bangladesh, National Law, International law.