Published: October 29, 2025, 09:51 PM
More than a million children across Bangladesh continue to work in hazardous conditions despite modest progress in reducing such labor, with experts calling for long-term policies, parental awareness, and sustainable economic support to protect vulnerable families.
At just 11 years old, Antu Mia worked in an engineering workshop beside the Moghbazar railway line in Dhaka. He has been employed in welding and metalwork since the age of nine.
“I can’t hear properly anymore,” Antu said, explaining that constant exposure to the loud noise of welding machines has damaged his hearing. He lives with his mother and younger sister in the Peyarabag slum of Moghbazar, after leaving his parents’ home at nine. His mother does domestic work to support the family.
Antu’s story is not unique — there are more than a million children like him across Bangladesh engaged in hazardous labor, according to recent reports from UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
UNICEF’s 2025 report found that the rate of hazardous child labor among children aged 5–17 fell from 3.2% in 2013 to 2.7% in 2022, representing about 1.07 million children. However, the overall rate of child labor slightly increased from 8.7% to 8.9% during the same period, while the proportion of working children rose marginally from 4.3% to 4.4%.
Speaking to Bangladesh Pratidin, Sharmin S. Murshid, Advisor for Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs, said, “We are preparing to introduce a realistic law soon to prevent child labor.”
ILO Bangladesh representative Gunjan Dalakoti expressed concern over the lack of progress, stressing that “permanent, long-term, and sustainable initiatives” are essential to eliminate child labor.
Salma Akhter, Professor of Sociology at Dhaka University, emphasized the need to raise parental awareness and provide families with economic alternatives. “Offering sewing machines, small loans, or job opportunities to family members can help reduce child labor,” she said.
Akhter added that if work is unavoidable, children should be placed in safe environments where education and skill-building are ensured. “Child labor cannot be eradicated overnight,” she noted. “It requires long-term planning, implementation, and collective effort.”
