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Future Search Conference

Help assured to eliminate intolerable forms of child labour in Bangladesh
After three days of animated brainstorming. experience slurring; planning and visioning, the Future Search Conference on Child Labour organized by East West University in cooperation with UNICEF, concluded with participants committing themselves to help eliminate the most intolerable forms of child labour in Bangladesh, and expressing a sense of optimism and a feeling that they can personally make a difference, according to a UNICEF press release.
The specific objectives of the conference were to explore the past and present of child labour in this country, to grasp the enormity and complexity of the problems and issues, and to conceive and construct timebound action plans to create a future wjiere child labour would not ejpst, ,
Thfcjj>ufci»Kx was iaaugu-— rated by Md Mahe Alam, Secretary of Labour and Manpower, along with Rolf C Carriere, UNICEF representative in Bangladesh, and Dr Mohammad Farashuddin. Vice Chancellor. East West University recently.
In his opening remarks. Mahe Alam spoke of the scale of the problem as well as some of the positive steps that have been taken in Bangladesh to address it: "Child labour in Bangladesh is a serious problem where nearly 6.5 million children are working as child labourers." he said. 'This constitutes 6 per cent of the total labour force of the country.
He added that while it was customary in the past for children to work, the current focus on child labour and the groundbreaking agreement to end child labour in the garment industry came about because of international attention and
concern to protect the rights of children.
Carriere dwelt on the child labour in Bangladesh and urged participants not to be intimidated by the scale of the problem and to believe that solutions can be developed to eliminate child labour.
Dr Farashuddin spoke of the appropriate timing of this conference. due to the urgent need to take action to achieve the commitment made at the Third SAARC Ministerial Conference on Children in Rawalpindi. Pakistan, to eliminate hazardous child labour by the year 2000.
A total of 56 participants comprising eight "stakeholder groups” — media, employers. NGOs. working children, citi-
zens. service providers, policy makers. and development partners — actively explored issues from multiple perspectives, and sought to identify common grounds and pragmatic policies . to end child labour. Bringing together participants from different social sectors also broadens the base for future concerted action.
The following points were highlighted as priorities for action: total ban on employment of children in hazardous occupations: universal primary education with 100 per cent enrollment: micro-credit facilities for parents withdrawing their children from work: more agreements to be signed between the government and employers' associations to provide educa-
tlon facilities for working children.
There were also a group of observers who were being trained in the Future Conference methodology, and who are expected to apply this technique of holding transformative meeUngs in other sectors.
One of them. Taheerah Haq. Managing Director of Horizon Pacific International, said: "The entire conference was a very moving experience for me. Having the working children there brought the problem so much closer. The problems of 'child labour are so monumental. however, working in the Future Search format helped us to find solutions especially in terms of what each individual can do."