Keraniganj will be Declared as a Model Upazila by 2023 Through Elimination of Child Labour

Md. Ehsan E Elahi (Secretary of the Ministry of Labor and Employment) announced that child labor will be eliminated from the local garment factory in Keraniganj located on the banks of river Buriganga and Keraniganj Upazila will be declared as a model Upazila soon. He was speaking as the chief guest at a participatory meeting on “Elimination of Child Labor in Keraniganj Local Garment Factories” organized by the Department of Factory and Establishment Inspection, Dhaka District and Bangladesh Labor Foundation 5^th January 2022.

Mr. Md. Nasir Uddin Ahmed, Inspector General of the Department of Factory and Establishment Inspection presided over the function.  Mr. AKM Salauddin, Deputy Inspector General of the Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments delivered the welcome address at the joint meeting organized by Bangladesh Labor Foundation and Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishments . Z M Kamrul Anam Secretary-general of BLF moderated the whole program.

Among others,  ILO representative Syeda Munira Sultana, Mahbuba Bilkis, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Labor and Employment; Abdus Salam Khan, Chairman, BLF; Dr. Mustafizur Rahman, Joint Inspector General (Health), Department of Factory and Establishment Inspection; Md. Mehedi Hasan Upazila Executive Officer, Keraniganj; AKM Ashraf Uddin, Executive Director, Bangladesh Labor Foundation, Jahangir Shaah, Chairman Agangar Union, Md. Shahinur Rahman, Consultant, Mondial FNV; Md. Tofazzal Hossain, Joint General Secretary, Keraniganj Shop Owners and Traders Cooperative Society Ltd.; Md. Zakir Hossain Pannu, President, Keraniganj Small Garment Workers Welfare Union spoke on the occasion. Officials of the Department of Factory and Establishment Inspection, representatives of various government departments, representatives of various national and international non-governmental development organizations, representatives of labor organizations and journalists were present.

Speaking as the chief guest, Mr. Md. Ehsan E Elahi, Secretary, Ministry of Labor and Employment, said that Keraniganj Upazila will be declared a model Upazila by eliminating child labor. In the end, he instructed the Keraniganj Upazila Executive Officer to prepare a project with Keraniganj. He also announced that Keraniganj will be free of child labor by 2023 and he will personally come and reward those who are involved in it. He also called on the ILO to cooperate in making Keraniganj free from child labor.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Md. Nasir Uddin Ahmed, Inspector General of the Department of Factory and Establishment Inspection said that his office would take up a project in Keraniganj Upazila to eradicate child labor. He further said that from now on no worker below 14 years of age can be hired. If anyone hires a worker below 14 years of age, legal action will be taken against him.

Other speakers have given their commitment to declare Keraniganj Upazila as a model Upazila by 2023 by implementing the National Child Labor Elimination Action Plan. The speakers called for the elimination of child labor as well as bringing family values ​​and families under social security programs.

The Bangladesh Labor Foundation (BLF) has been working to ensure a conducive working environment in various industrial establishments/factories as well as in local garment manufacturing establishments/factories and in the workplace. Local garments are the major source of domestic demand in the country. In order to meet the demand of the local market, Keraniganj in Dhaka is at the top among these factories followed by Narayanganj and Chittagong. But it is sad but true that about 32% of the workers in these factories are child laborers who are always working at high risk. The government is committed to eliminating child labor. Therefore, the leaders pointed out in the speech that immediate action needs to be taken to eliminate child labor of this factory / institution in order to implement the pledge of child labor. And soon adopted a two-year action plan and pledged to work together to implement it.