World Day against Child Labour today

The World Day against Child Labour is being observed today (12 June) in the country as elsewhere across the globe.

Child labour remains a significant concern, particularly in impoverished and developing nations, as it robs children of their childhood and innocence. To bring attention to this issue, the International Labour Organization (ILO) designated June 12 as the World Day Against Child Labour in 2002.

Recognizing its significance, the United Nations declared 2021 as the International Year for the Eradication of Child Labour. This initiative aims to raise awareness and take concerted actions to eliminate child labour worldwide.

The World Day Against Child Labour 2023 will focus on the theme of ‘Week of Action against Child Labour’.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have called upon all concerned, including private organizations, media, national and international agencies alongside the government to play an effective role in making institutional and non-institutional sectors free from child labour.

They made the call in separate messages on the eve of the World Day Against Child Labour.

In his message, President Mohammed Shahabuddin said Bangladesh is a ratifying country of the United Nations Charter on the rights of the child and the ILO Convention on hazardous child labour.

Eliminating child labor has been identified as one of the indicators for achieving SDG targets on economic growth, he said.
In a separate message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said today’s child or teenager will be the main driving force of Bangladesh's development strategy in the future.

“Therefore, we should make our children suitable for a developed and prosperous country,” she said.

She said the greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1974 made the Children Act compulsory for the development and blossoming of children.

He upheld the rights of children in the constitution, she said, adding that following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation, the Awami League-led government has formulated the National Child Labour Elimination Policy 2010.

Besides, the National Children Policy-2011, Children Act-2013, Child Marriage Restraint Act-2017 and Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy (DWPWP)-2015 have been formulated to ensure the development and protection of children, she continued.