Bangladesh
Child Labour No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed in work
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, March 1: Cabinet has approved proposal to ratify ILO Convention-138 Which prohibits the employment of children below the age of 15 years. However, considering the socio-economic status of a country, the age limit can be set at 14 years.
The approval was given at a regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
The Prime Minister virtually joined the meeting held in the Cabinet Division of the Secretariat through video conference from her official residence Ganobhaban.
In a press briefing after the meeting at the Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam said, "Considering the socio-economic condition of any country, the age limit for children can be reduced to 14 years, but not less than that."
"The cabinet considers 14 years to be suitable for Bangladesh," he added.
He said that the ILO Convention-138 was of special importance as 173 out of 189 countries of the world had signed it.
Khandaker Anwarul said, "The main problem is that it usually takes 15 years to complete primary education and that is why no child under the age of 15 can be employed in a job."
Especially considering the socio-economic situation, he said that 14 years was suitable for Bangladesh. He said children under the age of 14 or 15 should not be employed in hazardous or dangerous jobs under any circumstances.
Mentioning that 'children cannot be involved in activities that could lead to accidents or deaths,' he said, "Children of this age cannot be considered adults even if they are employed."
He added that they could not be presented as adults in marriage or other cases and that anyone who committed a crime at this age would be considered a child offender.
When asked what the punishment would be if a child under the age of 14 or 15 is given a job, Khandaker Anwarul said punishment would be given according to the labour law.
