Children in Bangladesh engage in the worst forms of child labor, including forced child labor in the production of dried fish and bricks. (1,2) Children also perform dangerous tasks in the production of garments and leather goods.(2-5) Table 1 provides key indicators on children's work and education in Bangladesh.

Source for primary completion rate: Data from 2010, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2020. (6)
Source for all other data: International Labor Organization's analysis of statistics from Labour Force Survey (LFS), 2013. (7)

Based on a review of available information, Table 2 provides an overview of children's work by sector and activity.

† Determined by national law or regulation as hazardous and, as such, relevant to Article 3(d) of ILO C. 182.
‡ Child labor understood as the worst forms of child labor per se under Article 3(a)–(c) of ILO C. 182.

The prevalence of child labor in Bangladesh's formal sector has decreased as Bangladesh's economy has grown. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics estimates that there are 1.28 million children working in hazardous sectors. (111) The government of Bangladesh declared the formal garment sector and shrimp sector are free from child labor, but acknowledge additional resources are required to address child labor in all sectors. (111) However, many children in Bangladesh engage in dangerous work in informal manufacturing sectors and the dried fish industry. (2-5,13,39) According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, over 85% of the economy is informal. (43) In the dried fish industry, children work all day without protective gear and are exposed to the insecticide DDT, salt, and the sun. (13) In the shipbreaking sector, children are exposed to toxic materials such as asbestos and work in dangerous conditions without personal protective equipment, and often at night. (38) The few older children who still work in tanneries lack protective equipment and experience continuous exposure to heavy metals, formaldehyde, and other hazardous substances. (3,4) Children working in informal garment production work as many as 16 hours a day and often carry heavy loads, use hazardous machinery, and handle chemicals without protective equipment. (16,27)

Reports of violence against child workers in various sectors, including in domestic work, have also been documented. (2,21,42,54,55) In 2018, a survey by an international organization found more than 400,000 children in domestic work in Bangladesh. Across Bangladesh, street children are coerced into criminality or forced to beg, and begging ringmasters sometimes maim children to increase earnings. (43) Children are forced, especially in border areas, to produce and transport drugs, especially "yaba" tablets (methamphetamine). (56)

Nearly 400,000 Rohingya children are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh following the Burmese military's ethnic cleansing operations in 2017. Children residing in the camps are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. (14,46,57,58,59) Rohingya girls are trafficked from the refugee camps for commercial sexual exploitation in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal. In some cases, girls are promised jobs in domestic service but are instead forced into commercial sexual exploitation. (14,28) Foreigners create demand for child sex tourism, including exploitation of Rohingya girls near Cox's Bazar. (56) Some girls are forced into domestic service, sometimes as a result of human trafficking, and are abused by their employers. (46,52,53) Rohingya children recruited to work outside the refugee camps are reported to be underpaid or unpaid, unable to communicate with their families, and subjected to excessive working hours. (46,60) Rohingya boys typically work in construction, fishing, and shops. (14,53) Rohingya children are further sold into bonded labor in the fish drying industry by their parents, primarily in the city of Cox's Bazar. Bonded laborers work to pay off their parents' debt over a nine month fishing season. (14,15)

Children throughout Bangladesh are sexually exploited through the country's legal and illegal brothels, and child commercial sexual exploitation remained widespread. False promises of work are used to lure poor women and children into sex trafficking and fabricate exorbitant debts the women, and girls as young as 10, must work to repay. (56) Children fleeing abusive child marriages are especially vulnerable to being sold to brothels for commercial sexual exploitation. Some children of sex workers are put to work in brothels and made to take steroids to appear older. (56)

Although the 2010 National Education Policy raised the age of compulsory education from fifth grade (age 10) to eighth grade (age 14), the new compulsory education scheme is not enforceable until the legal framework is amended to reflect the revised policy. (61) In order to accommodate the larger number of students receiving compulsory education, Bangladesh is building new schools to accommodate students. In the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Bangladesh upgraded 764 schools, constructed 77 new schools, built 10,039 classrooms, installed sanitation facilities in 2,920 schools, and installed tube wells in 750 schools. (43) While poverty was the most common reason children did not attend school, as 31% of families depend on child labor for needed additional income, inadequate access to education remains a concern. (43)

While Rohingya refugee children are not permitted to attend school in Bangladesh, including in private educational institutions, due to their lack of documentation, the government has permitted international organizations, such as UNICEF, UNESCO, and UNHCR, to provide some basic education services to primary school-aged Rohingya children, and hundreds of learning centers were created. (43,62,63) According to UNICEF, 90 percent of children aged 4 to 14 years in the refugee camps have access to learning centers and non-formal education. However, aid groups are barred from teaching the Bangla language, using Bangladesh's educational curriculum, and providing accredited education to refugees. (43) In 2019, the government of Bangladesh agreed to allow international partners to implement the Myanmar Curriculum Pilot. The pilot, scheduled to start in 2020 with 10,000 children, would allow children to follow Burma's educational curriculum with the goal of preparing for their return in the future. The pilot will teach children the Burmese language, which they are not allowed to learn in Burma/Myanmar. (43) Limited access to education makes refugee children more vulnerable to labor exploitation. (2,64)

Bangladesh has ratified most key international conventions concerning child labor (Table 3).

In 2019, the government acceded to the Palermo Protocol on Trafficking in Persons. (65)

The government has established laws and regulations related to child labor (Table 4). However, gaps exist in Bangladesh's legal framework to adequately protect children from the worst forms of child labor, including the minimum age for work.

* No conscription (75)

Minimum age protections in the Bangladesh Labor Act do not cover children working in the informal sector, where most child labor in Bangladesh occurs, which includes domestic work, street work, and work on small agricultural farms. (66,76,77) In addition, the types of hazardous work prohibited for children do not cover garment production and drying fish; both are areas of work in which there is evidence that children work in unsafe and unhealthy environments for long periods of time. (1,2,5,13,67)

Bangladesh prohibits, but does not criminalize, the use of children in pornographic performances and in the production of drugs. (69,71,78) Sources indicate that the minimum age for recruitment in the Army is 17 and requires parental consent in addition to birth documents verifying age. (113) Army recruitment and training take one year, ensuring that recruits reach the age of 18 before entering regular duty. (112) The minimum age for recruitment in the Air Force is 16. (114) However, there are no laws that set the minimum age of voluntary recruitment by the state armed forces. Additionally, although the Constitution prohibits the formation of non-state armed groups, the legal framework does not criminally prohibit the recruitment of children by non-state armed groups. (74,79)

The government has established institutional mechanisms for the enforcement of laws and regulations on child labor (Table 5). However, gaps exist within the operations of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) that may hinder adequate enforcement of their child labor laws.

Labor Law Enforcement

In 2019, labor law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh took actions to combat child labor (Table 6). However, gaps exist within the operations of the Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments that may hinder adequate labor law enforcement, including a shortage of inspectors.

The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) only conducts labor inspections in the formal sector according to an inspection road map and plan. In addition to normal inspections, labor inspectors are authorized to conduct special visits for a number of reasons, including suspected child labor and night work. (85) In 2019, DIFE removed 1,021 working children from 558 factories. (85) However, it is reported that children are moved to night shifts to evade inspectors, indicating that the frequency of night inspections is insufficient. (38) DIFE also lacks the authorization to impose penalties and conduct unannounced inspections in Bangladesh's Export Processing Zones. (43) In addition, the current penalty of $63 for a child labor law violation and the low rate of penalties imposed is inadequate to act as a deterrent. (77)

The number of labor inspectors is likely insufficient for the size of Bangladesh's workforce, which includes more than 66 million workers. According to the ILO's technical advice of a ratio approaching 1 inspector for every 40,000 workers in less developed economies, Bangladesh would employ about 1,666 labor inspectors. (2,87-89) Reports indicate that DIFE is insufficiently funded and has not filled its 575 approved labor inspector positions. (90) Additionally, recruitment of inspectors suffers from a lack of incentives to join the department. (43)

Criminal Law Enforcement

In 2019, criminal law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh took actions to combat child labor (Table 7). However, gaps exist within the operations of the Bangladesh Police that may hinder adequate criminal law enforcement, including insufficient funding.

In 2019, the Bangladesh Army and Rapid Action Battalion were deployed to assist in identifying and investigating violations related to the possible trafficking of Rohingya refugees, a population with children vulnerable to child labor and commercial sexual exploitation. (14,91,92) However, sources indicate that some border guards, police, and military members are involved in facilitating the trafficking of children, including into prostitution. In registered brothels, some police accepted bribes to not check documentation that workers were older than 18 and to procure falsified documents for workers, some as young as ten years old. (56) In particular, in 2018 two border guards were accused of raping two girls after they refused to engage in commercial sex while a third border guard stood watch. (56,110) The guards' commanding officer dismissed the allegations as "rumors" and NGO personnel were prevented from visiting the girls in the hospital. (14) In January 2019, Rapid Action Battalion units arrested an Armed Police Battalion officer on charges of forcing two 12-year old girls into prostitution. (14,50) However, the government subsequently denied the case. (56)

Border guards, police, and coast guards received training during the reporting period. In addition, new police posts were established. (85) However, the Trafficking in Persons Monitoring Cell reportedly lacks the necessary funds and staff to adequately address cases of child trafficking. (93) Reporting also indicates that Child Protection Networks, intended to be a referral mechanism between law enforcement and social services, are not operating due to a lack of funds. (84)The government also did not provide information on the number of investigations, violations found, prosecutions initiated, convictions, or penalties imposed for violations related to the worst forms of child labor for inclusion in this report.

The government has established mechanisms to coordinate its efforts to address child labor (Table 8). However, gaps exist that hinder the effective coordination of efforts to address child labor, including a lack of coordination among agencies.

The government has established policies related to child labor (Table 9). However, policy gaps exist that hinder efforts to address child labor, including mainstreaming child labor issues into relevant policies.

The government has a National Education Policy that sets the compulsory age for free education through eighth grade (age 14). In 2019, the government supported education through constructing new classrooms, providing textbooks, training teachers, and providing stipends and meals to students in need. (85) However, the government has yet to include child labor elimination and prevention strategies into the National Education Policy. (61)

In 2019, the government funded and participated in programs that include the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor (Table 10). However, issues exist in these social programs, including lack of adequate programs to address the full scope of the problem.

† Program is funded by the Government of Bangladesh.
‡ The government had other social programs that may have included the goal of eliminating or preventing child labor. (108,109)

During the reporting period, with technical and financial support from UNICEF, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which includes child labor statistics. The Government of Bangladesh is expected to release the data in 2020. (2) In addition, the Ministry of Labor and Employment is expected to conduct a national survey on child labor by 2021. (2)

Within 15 ministries responsible for children in some way, the government of Bangladesh increased its spending on children by 17 percent between the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 fiscal years. Although the government has implemented 91 action programs to eliminate hazardous child labor, research found that the scope of these programs is insufficient to fully address the extent of the child labor problem, including in tanneries, the informal garment sector, and the dried fish industry. (43)

Based on the reporting above, suggested actions are identified that would advance the elimination of child labor in Bangladesh (Table 11).

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