National Dialogue on the Child Labour Recommendations of the LRC

On 11 August, Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) organized a National Dialogue on the Recommendations of the Labour Reform Commission (LRC) regarding Child Labour, Adolescent Workers, and Forced Labour  — with a focus on apriority based action plan for implementation. With the support from Mondiaal FNV, the event highlighted three key reasons why addressing child labour and forced labour is urgent:

• Constitutional Commitment: The Constitution guarantees freedom from forced labour (Art. 34) and mandates free, compulsory education for all children (Art. 17).
• LDG Graduation & Global Trade: As Bangladesh graduates from Least Developed Country status in 2026, continued duty-free access to EU markets and other countries will depend on meeting international labour and sustainability standards, including meeting core labour rights as for example C87 (Freedom of Association), C98 (Right to Organise & Collective Bargaining), C29 & C105 (Forced Labour), C138 & C182 (Child Labour), C100 & C111 (Non-discrimination).
• Global Regulatory Developments: New laws like the EU Forced Labour Ban, CSDDD, CSRD and others make compliance essential for international trade.

The event brought together representatives from trade unions, CSOs, embassies (Netherlands, Denmark, USA), the EU, ILO, NGOs, and government officials, including the Chairperson of the Labour Rights Commission and senior officials from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

We look forward to stronger implementation of the LRC’s recommendations and to achieve this , all stakeholders must join hands for collective action.