Volume 08 Issue 03 March 2025
M.M. Enamul Aziz, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Bangladesh University, Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh.
DOI : https://doi.org/10.47191/ijsshr/v8-i3-22Google Scholar Download Pdf
ABSTRACT
Child labor remains a critical issue in Bangladesh, where millions of children are deprived of their basic rights to education, safety, and a childhood free from exploitation. This paper aims to comprehensively examine the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to child labor in Bangladesh, with a particular focus on its socioeconomic impact. The primary objectives of this research are to identify the underlying factors contributing to child labor, analyze its effects on the lives of children, and propose actionable policy interventions to address the issue. This study adopts a qualitative research approach using secondary data analysis to examine the issue of child labour in Bangladesh. Data is collected from a variety of sources, including government reports, international organizations, academic articles, media reports, and NGO publications. A qualitative content analysis method is then used to identify key themes, conduct comparative analysis with global case studies, and evaluate policy effectiveness. The findings demonstrated culturally relevant socioeconomic effects of child labour measuring the physical & mental health impact to this group of child labourers as well as providing limited human capital ensuring they remain in a dark wheel of never being able to better their situation, rarely having the opportunity to attend any school and existing in a perpetual process of poverty. Child labor also contributes to the economic problem of the wider nation, including inequality and economic inefficiency. Thus, it is concluded that to break the history of child labor in Bangladesh we need a multidimensional remedy starting with tighter enforcement of laws, better access to education and interdisciplinary poverty mitigation programs which should be taken place along with the International agencies and Organizations driving the need to protect the political economy of child labor.
KEYWORDS:Child Labour, In-depth Study, Socioeconomic Impact, Bangladesh.
REFERENCES1) Ahmed, F. (2021). Education and child labor in Bangladesh: Exploring the linkages. Journal of Education and Development, 13(2), 45-62.
2) Ahad, M. A., Chowdhury, M., Parry, Y. K., & Willis, E. (2021). Urban child labor in Bangladesh: determinants and its possible impacts on health and education. Social Sciences, 10(3), 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10030107
3) BBS (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics). (2019). Child labor and socioeconomic factors in Bangladesh. BBS Report, 15-23.
4) Caleo, G., Sadique, S., Yuce, D., Dada, M., Benvenuti, B., Joseph, J., Malden, D., Velivela, K., Chowdhury, S. M., Mayienga, C., Shenjuti, T., Sadacharamani, G., Masum, R. R., Sherlock, M., Atim, H., & Keating, P. (2024). A Public health wound: health and work among children engaged in worst forms of child labour in the informal sector in Dhaka, Bangladesh: a retrospective analysis of Médecins Sans Frontières Occupational health data from 2014 to 2023. Research Square (Research Square). https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5313328/v1
5) Chowdhury, S., & Sultana, S. (2021). Cognitive development and educational challenges among child workers in Bangladesh. Education Development Studies, 12(3), 102-115.
6) Chowdhury, N., & Ahmad, S. (2018). The role of cultural attitudes in sustaining child labor in Bangladesh. Sociological Review, 35(4), 129-142.
7) Hoque, M. M. (2024). A critical review of Bangladesh’s child labor regulations and policies. World Development Sustainability, 5, 100177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wds.2024.100177
8) Hussain, M., & Maskus, K. E. (2003). Child Labour Use and Economic Growth: An Econometric analysis. World Economy, 26(7), 993–1017. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9701.00560
9) Hosen, M. A., Khandoker, M. S. H., & Islam, S. M. M. (2010). Child labor and child education in Bangladesh: issues, consequences and involvements. International Business Research, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v3n2p193
10) Ibrahim, A., Abdalla, S. M., Jafer, M., Abdelgadir, J., & De Vries, N. (2018). Child labor and health: a systematic literature review of the impacts of child labor on child’s health in low- and middle-income countries. Journal of Public Health, 41(1), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdy018
11) ILO (International Labour Organization). (2021). Child labor in Bangladesh: A statistical overview. ILO Report.
12) ILO (International Labour Organization). (2023). Child labor in Bangladesh: A statistical overview. ILO Report.
13) Islam, M. (2020). Policy gaps in Bangladesh’s child labor elimination efforts. Bangladesh Policy Review, 9(1), 41-53.
14) Islam, M., & Bhuiyan, M. (2020). Health hazards associated with child labor in Bangladesh. Journal of Health and Development, 14(1), 77-89.
15) Kamruzzaman, M. (2018). A review on Child labour criticism in Bangladesh: An analysis. International Journal of Sports Science and Physical Education, 3(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsspe.20180301.11
16) Kaur, N., & Byard, R. W. (2021). Prevalence and potential consequences of child labour in India and the possible impact of COVID-19 – a contemporary overview. Medicine Science and the Law, 61(3), 208–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/0025802421993364
17) Khan, M., & Rahman, A. (2018). Child labor in Bangladesh: Addressing the root causes. Journal of Development Studies, 29(3), 90-105.
18) Keane, M., Krutikova, S., & Neal, T. (2022). Child work and cognitive development: Results from four low to middle income countries. Quantitative Economics, 13(2), 425–465. https://doi.org/10.3982/qe1745
19) Patoari, M. M. H. (2020). Socio-Economic, cultural and family factors causing juvenile delinquency and its consequences in Bangladesh: a look for way out. Asian Journal of Social Sciences and Management Studies, 7(2), 89–98. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.500.2020.72.89.98
20) Putnick, D. L., & Bornstein, M. H. (2016). VI. GIRLS’ AND BOYS’ LABOR AND HOUSEHOLD CHORES IN LOW‐ AND MIDDLE‐INCOME COUNTRIES. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 81(1), 104–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12228
21) Rahman, M., & Hoque, A. (2020). Economic implications of child labor in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Economic Review, 14(2), 115-126.
22) Shahjahan, M. B., Ara, M. J., & Ayaz, M. (2016b). Protecting Child Labor in Bangladesh under Domestic Laws. OALib, 03(04), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1102543
23) Siddique, S., & Rahman, Z. (2018). Social protection policies and child labor reduction in Bangladesh. Journal of Social Policy Studies, 19(3), 56-70.
24) Thi, A. M., Zimmerman, C., & Ranganathan, M. (2023). Hazardous Child Labour, Psychosocial Functioning, and School Dropouts among Children in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Children, 10(6), 1021. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10061021
25) UNICEF, BBS, Progotir Pathey Bangladesh: Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019 (p. 564) [Survey Report], Government of Bangladesh and UNICEF, 2019. https:// www.unicef.org/Bangladesh/en/topics/multiple-indicator-cluster-survey.
26) World Bank, Bangladesh: An Overview [Country Overview], The World Bank, 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/overview
27) World Bank, Bangladesh: An Overview [Country Overview], The World Bank, 2021. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/Bangladesh/overview.
28) Zickafoose, A., Ilesanmi, O., Diaz-Manrique, M., Adeyemi, A. E., Walumbe, B., Strong, R., Wingenbach, G., Rodriguez, M. T., & Dooley, K. (2024). Barriers and Challenges affecting quality Education (Sustainable Development Goal #4) in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030. Sustainability, 16(7), 2657. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16072657