Photo: BSS

RAJSHAHI, Jan 8, 2026 (BSS) - Labour and Employment Secretary Dr Sanwar Jahan Bhuiyan today said child labour is extremely harmful to the physical and mental health of children, describing it as a serious social and economic crisis rather than only a legal issue.

"Child labour deprives children of education and a normal life, severely hampering their physical, mental and humane development," he said while addressing a divisional workshop titled "Elimination of Child Labour" as the chief guest in Rajshahi.

The workshop was organised by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) at the conference hall of the National Occupational Safety and Health Training and Research Institute (NOSHTRI) in the city.

The secretary said the government is firmly committed to eliminating all forms of child labour by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He added that the government's responsibility is not limited to formulating and enforcing laws, but also to ensuring education, protection and fundamental rights for children.

Highlighting government initiatives, Dr Sanwar Jahan Bhuiyan said the National Child Labour Welfare Council has been formed alongside strengthening divisional, district and upazila-level committees and monitoring mechanisms. He said budgetary allocations are provided every year to organise regular meetings and workshops to raise awareness at the field level.

He informed that, after updating the list of hazardous child labour, 43 types of work have been identified as risky. Referring to the declaration of child labour-free industrial sectors, he said tannery, silk, ceramic, glass, export-oriented leather goods and footwear, ship reprocessing, garments and shrimp processing industries have been declared free from child labour.

Dr Sanwar Jahan Bhuiyan said DIFE has been taking legal action against violators through regular monitoring. During the 2024-25 financial year, 3,453 children were rescued from labour under DIFE supervision, he added.

He also said more than one lakh children have been brought under non-formal education and skill training through the government-funded "Elimination of Risky Child Labour (Fourth Phase)" project. In addition, around 90,000 children were freed from hazardous labour through earlier projects.

The secretary said awareness programmes are also being conducted in collaboration with various development partners, including the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Commissioner of Rajshahi Division Dr ANM Bazlur Rashid, DIFE Director General Omor Md Imrul Mohsin, Deputy Inspector General of Police Dr Muhammad Shahjahan, Professor Fakhrul Islam of Rajshahi University's Department of Social Work and UCEP Bangladesh Regional Manager Shahinul Islam addressed the workshop, among others.

DIFE Joint Inspector General Julia Jeshmin and ILO National Consultant Halima Akter also spoke at the event.