Working Boys and Girls at Risk: Child Labour in Urban Bangladesh

Bangladesh, despite its commendable progress in terms of basic education, has not been able to deal with its child labour problem. There is no single approach to the eradication of the problem, but a better understanding of the reasons why children work, the conditions under which they work and the impact it has on their lives should go a long way in improving policies and in raising awareness. It is important to document how damaging child labour can be. This study of the capital city of the country Dhaka is revealing in many ways. It looks at various urban sectors in which children work: the leather industry, home-based work, garbage collection, shop assistants, etc. Special attention has been paid to the work done by girls in the poor areas of Dhaka. The study has also looked at the recruitment mechanisms and have traced the recruitment chain down to the villages. The painstaking research amidst the children over a period of many months has resulted in an extensive description of the inside story which provide a voice to the children themselves and goes beyond the mere quantitative analysis. It offers a high-quality understanding of the problem and provides hopes and aspirations to the most downtrodden segment of the population-the children. The findings and the research methodology will help policymakers and social science students to better understand the compulsions behind child labour and to help them in approaching the issue.