Appointing Child laborers, a unsolved problem of Bangladesh
Piyas Roy
August 21, 2008 Although child labor is illegal in
Not only in the garment factories is this very fact seen in every where around us. From road side tea stalls to fast-food shops, from rickshaw pulling to conducting heavy vehicles, from selling products road side to doing highly risky jobs according to age. Everywhere child workers are found easily. If we try to look for the reason, it will be very clear in front of our eyes.
First of all, it is easy to maintain a child to work at a job-holder’s place in exchange of comparatively less remuneration, and in most of cases children are easy to be motivated.
That was from the point of the recruiters. But if we think a bit generally the reasons will be more specific that that. Why every year the numbers of child workers are getting higher? From our point of view the first reason in obviously the population problem. It is really very funny when in fast countries people are regarded as assets for countries development process; we are treating them as our main problem. The cause of that situation our large number of people is not skilled. And this people without skill is making just share on per-head allocation but not taking any special contribution in countries economy.
That is why government is repeatedly getting failed to serve the whole number of people with the basic needs. As a result a large number of children are being deprived from the benefit of compulsory education system. And the result is clear to us. The marginalized people are getting more and more fade-up on education and its significance in life. Instead of sending their children to school they are sending their children.
In other cases a large number of children have to work in order to maintain his own or family member’s life. Life becomes a burden to him/her. Often we say that child labor should be prohibited, then now I have a question, if child-labor is fully stopped than a boy who works in a factory and collects his lively costs, how could manage money for his livelihood. Will you provide money for his life? Are not you forcing a working boy to the unethical way of begging or getting involved in corruption or anti-social activities?
So I am actually in a dilemma about that matter. What to do? Should we stop child-labor working? If yes then how could we meet their needs?
Photo courtesy: Mr. Shahjahan Siraj
