Strengthening the political will to ensure child protection is at the heart of all election manifestos and policy agendas. This may be based on measurable goals to decrease child labour, strengthen child protection measures, expand social protection for vulnerable families, improve retention in education, and ensure adequate budget allocation for child-focused services. Political rivalry shouldn’t just be about roads, bridges, and economic development; it should be judged on how parties will protect the rights and welfare of the children of Bangladesh. No country can afford to leave its children behind and become a developed and inclusive society. Securing and safeguarding children’s welfare must move beyond party and election cycles and be an inter-party national priority.
Bangladesh has long been praised for its achievements in the fight against poverty, education and child welfare. However, there is a dark side to these gains – child labour is once again increasing. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) and UNICEF’s latest findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2025 showed that 9.2% of children aged 5–17 are involved in child labour, compared with 6.8% in 2019. This growth leads to about 1.2 million more children working in the next six years. The numbers should be of concern to policymakers, development partners, and society at large. This is not just an economic issue; it is a crisis for child protection and for a generation’s future.
Child labour in Bangladesh has not been limited to a particular sector in the country. Children are still employed in factories, transport, workshops, commercial activities and ship breaking. But most importantly, there is the extensive informal sector, which lacks monitoring and is ripe for exploitation. Children can be found working in agriculture, fisheries, brick kilns, construction sites, garages, domestic households, and on the streets. Many face dangerous situations that can affect their physical and mental wellbeing and hinder their growth and development.
The implications are far-reaching. Child labour means children are missing school, cut off from a nurturing environment and vulnerable to many forms of abuse. Many studies have shown that children in the workforce are at higher risk of physical violence, sexual exploitation and trafficking, neglect and psychological trauma. All children who leave school for work have lower lifetime opportunities to earn a living and to achieve social mobility.
Several child protection cases were reported in recent times across Bangladesh, further highlighting the vulnerabilities. Child abuse, sexual violence, sexual exploitation through technology and child marriage are all news topics that come up with regular frequency. These cases are symptomatic of overall failings in the system of child protection which receive little public attention. Children involved in labour, especially in the informal sector, are often not visible to formal protection systems. They are particularly vulnerable due to poor reporting systems, limited access to support services, and weak monitoring.
Economic pressures have been growing over the last few years. Many low-income families are under new pressure due to the socio-economic impacts of the recent global crises, rising living costs and income insecurity. Increasingly, children are paying the price for these pressures. Child labour is a symptom of structural inequalities when families must choose between today’s survival and tomorrow’s education. This is particularly true of urban slums, coastal zones at risk of disaster, char areas and other less included communities where social protection is limited.
Bangladesh has no shortage of commitments. The country has signed critical international conventions such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions on child labour. There is also a good national protection framework in the form of legislation and policy. However, implementation is still a weak connection.
Child labour is still prevalent, and enforcement questions need to be raised, as well as questions of accountability and investment. Labour inspections continue to be inadequate, especially for the informal sector. There is a lack of coverage for the poorest households in social safety net programs. Educational retention strategies need to be reinforced, particularly for pupils at risk of leaving. Child protection services are still woefully inadequate in many areas of the country.
This challenge cannot be met with one-off interventions. There is a need for coordinated action at the national level with children at the heart of development planning in Bangladesh. There is a need to expand social protection for vulnerable families, to enhance access to quality education, to support community-based child protection mechanisms, and to boost investments in child welfare services.
Meanwhile, there needs to be a change in public perceptions. Child labour is often seen as an acceptable solution to poverty. Children’s exploitation is an evil that society will not tolerate, despite the economic hardship it brings. All children are entitled to experience learning, playing and growing without the added burden of responsibility of adults.
This increase in child labour should be an alarming indicator. It represents more complex issues of poverty, inequality, climate risk and child protection system failures. With current trends, Bangladesh is at risk of jeopardising its human development progress over decades.
Ensuring that millions of children are free from labour and enjoy their basic rights is essential for the country’s development goals, including its vision of a prosperous and inclusive future. Child protection is a social duty, but also a national development, economic productivity and social stability investment.
But when will transformative progress be possible? Bangladesh has proven it in the past when political will, community involvement and strategic investments come together. The current surge of child labour needs to be treated as urgently as ever. Children’s lives must never be sacrificed to survive.
The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author
The writer is a Protection Specialist and CEO at Favor Consultancy. E-mail: [email protected]
