Bangladesh moves to ratify ILO Conventions on child labour

Bangladesh has moved to eliminate child labour by ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 138 on the minimum age for employment, implementing its commitment to eradicate all forms of child labour by 2025.

The country also fixed 14 years as the minimum age for employment as per the convention that requires Bangladesh to set a minimum age below which no one shall be admitted to employment or work in any occupation, except for children in light work and artistic performances, reads a statement issued by the ILO.

The declaration came after the ratification instruments were submitted by the State Minister of Labour and Employment ((MoLE), Begum Monnujan Sufian, at ILO headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday, according to the statement.

Law Minister Anisul Huq, Bangladesh’s Ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative Md Mustafizur Rahman and Labour and Employment Secretary Md Ehsan-E-Elahi were also present at the occasion.

Appreciating the initiative, ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said through this initiative, Bangladesh has come one step closer to building a child labour free society. “With the newly submitted ratification, Bangladesh reaffirms its strong commitment to eradicate child labour in the country and demonstrates that it is steadfast in its efforts to achieve this goal,” he said.

“The Government of Bangladesh is determined to eliminate all kinds of child labour, and it will do everything that is necessary to achieve this goal. We plan to establish a child labour free society by 2025,” said MoLE Minister Monnujan Sufian at the conference.

ILO Country Director in Bangladesh, Tuomo Poutiainen, said, “This ratification is a  milestone for Bangladesh and ILO will continue to work closely with the government to  ensure a brighter future for all its children.”

In January 2022, Bangladesh also ratified the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention (Protocol No. 29), reinforcing its international commitment to preventing and eliminating forced labour.

With this ratification, Bangladesh has now ratified all eight of ILO’s ‘Fundamental Conventions’ covering a broad spectrum of social and labour issues that are considered fundamental to rights at work.

Convention No. 138 is a fundamental Convention that requires Bangladesh to take measures to ensure the progressive elimination of child labour and set a minimum age under which no one shall be admitted to employment or work in any occupation, except for light work and artistic performances.

According to an ILO estimation released in 2020, working children have risen to 160 million worldwide. The child labour survey jointly carried out by the Government of Bangladesh and ILO in 2015 found that 1.7 million children work as child labourers in Bangladesh.

Following the ratification, Bangladesh will need to ensure in law and practice that the minimum age of entry into work or employment in selected sectors, both in the formal and informal economy, is not below 14 years of age.