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Businesses have a role to play in ensuring children's rights

Md Fazlur Rahman
Bangladesh is far from introducing comprehensive policies on child rights in its business organisations as the country’ is still struggling to eliminate child labour from industries, especially from informal sector.
Bangladesh’s businesses still prioritise child labour. As a result, they are far from meeting all internationally recognised labour standards, which would not only prevent them from engaging child labour but also make them respect all aspects of lives that affect children directly and indirectly.
Some leading chamber leaders and businessmen have also admitted that it would take some more time before Bangladesh can actually enforce a comprehensive policy on child labour that respects all rights of children and protects them from all forms of abuses.
There are over 60 million children in Bangladesh, which is nearly 40 per cent of the country’s total population. And half of these children continue to live below the poverty line, according to Save the (Children.
Bangladesh’s child labour issue has also drawn attention at the recent hearing on the country's human rights conditions at US Congress.
Eric Biel, the acting associate deputy labour undersecretary for International Affairs, told the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on July 19 last that child labour, unsafe working conditions, and impediments to form union persist in Bangladesh, particularly in the ready-made garment and shrimp processing industries.
Biel said the US Department of Labour's Bureau of International Labour Affairs (ILAB) is compiling reports on forced and child labour in the garment and shrimp industries of Bangladesh.
At the same hearing, Tim Ryan, Asia regional programme director of the American (Center for International Labour Solidarity, said child labour in the ready-made garment sector has decreased, but at least 7 million children still work in Bangladesh, mostly in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, domestic sendee, hotels and restaurants, and shrimp and the seafood industries.
Fhe Tom Lantos Human Rights (Commission was established in 2008 to promote internationally recognised human rights norms in a non-partisan manner.
Till date, recognition of the responsibility of business towards children has often been focused on preventing or eliminating child labour. This is the picture not only of Bangladesh but also in many developed countries.
While reinforcing standards and actions necessary to prevent and eliminate child labour, United Nations (Children Organisation (UNICEF), the Global (Compact and Save the (Children have formulated a guideline for the industries, which, if enforced properly, can help establish child rights.
"The (Children's Rights and Business Principles" also highlight the diversity of ways in which business affects children. This includes the impact of overall business operations such as products and services and their marketing methods and distribution practices as well as through businesses' relationships with national and local govern-
ments, and investments in local communities.
UNICEF thinks respecting and supporting children's rights requires businesses to both prevent harm and actively safeguard children's interests. By integrating respect and support for children's rights into the core strategies and operations, they can strengthen their existing corporate sustainability initiatives while ensuring benefits for their business.
Such efforts can build reputation, improve risk management and secure their 'social license to operate'. A commitment to children can also help recruit and maintain a motivated workforce. Supporting employees in their roles as parents and caregivers, and promoting youth employment and talent generation are just some of the concrete steps that businesses can take, according to the UN agency.
Considering how products and services can better meet children's needs can also be a source of innovation and create new markets. Finally, working for children helps build strong, well-educated communities that are vital to a stable, and inclusive and sustainable business environment.
Babgladesh has, however, made quite a number of progresses.
The country has made significant progress towards attaining the child-related Millennium Development Goals. Primary school enrolment has been rising, with 86 per cent of pri-mary-school-age girls and 85 per cent of primary school-age boys enrolled in 2009. Bangladesh has achieved close to target gender parity’ in primary and secondary education.
Latifur Rahman, chairman of Transcom Group, one of the leading business groups in Bangladesh, said from a business perspective, there is no competition between what is social responsibility’ and what is good for business.
"A responsible business ensures that products and services are safe for everyone. A responsible business does not employ a child as a labour."
The winner of Oslo Business for Peace Award 2012 said Bangladesh has almost eliminated child labour from the formal sector.
"We have a control in organised sector. The country's child labourers are mostly employed in the unorganised sector such as small factories and services sector. And I do not see any mechanism to stop it."
Rahman said people should keep in mind that these children are not doing jobs for fun. "This is a basic question we have to address. We have to strengthen our efforts so that we can keep them in school. We will have to give financial incentive so that parents do not send them for work."
He said businesses should also receive support from government policies and regulations in order to protect child rights. "We need to have consciousness as a nation."
He stressed on the importance of ensuring education of children so that they become more productive citizens of the country.
Rahman said development partners also need to work in the rural areas where there is vast number of child labourers.
Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, said the present government
would gradually eliminate child labour in line with its pledges made in the election manifesto.
She said Bangladesh's child labour issue has to be considered in the light of the country's total situation. "We cannot say that we should be able to eliminate it overnight. It may not be possible. There are still about 30 per cent people below the poverty line and many of them are women and children."
She said the country's child rights situation would improve in parallel with the improvement in poverty scenario, and child abuse would be eliminated.
^Thirteen per cent of children in Bangladesh are still involved in child
labour. Child labourers are frequently denied an education and are vulnerable to violence and abuse. ”
Chowdhury said the government has taken up some projects to withdraw 55,000 child labourers from the risky working condition, and bring them back to normal life.
The minister said many children are still stuck in risky job situations and the government is giving priority to withdraw them from those situations.
She said about 15 lakh to 20 lakh children are still involved in risky works. The government has formulated a Child Labour Elimination Policy to eradicate the social menace.
For Chowdhury, child rights are a major issue, which covers their education, health, nutrition and entertainment needs. "If the country can ensure women-friendly and childfriendly environment then the child rights will be easily ensured."
The government has taken up some awareness raising programmes about the issue, she told The Daily
Star last week.
Chowdhury said the business community is also doing some activities dedicated to the welfare of the children under their corporate social responsibility.
"The businesses have a role to play and some of them are doing the work. On behalf of the government, we are also encouraging the businesses to do more as we want that the private sector comes forward.”
Thirteen per cent of children in Bangladesh are still involved in child labour. Child labourers are frequently denied an education and are vulnerable to violence and abuse, according to the UNICEF.
Business leaders also said time has come for them to concentrate on all aspects of child rights, rather than only remain committed to stopping use of children as labour in the industries.
Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said the BGMEA has created a model for the whole world when it began eliminating child labour from the RMG units.
"We rehabilitated the children. We arranged education for them. Some of them returned to factories after completing education and some have moved to other areas," he said.
He said everybody has to think about Bangladesh's socio-economic condition when it deals with all forms of child rights. "The garment industry has played a key role in eradicating child labour from the industry. But there is a national deficiency in fighting child labour across the country."
Asif Ibrahim, president of Dhaka (Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), said when ILO convention was made effective, BGMEA actively took steps and eliminated child labour from the sector.
"The businesses also took measures and monitored the situation."
He said the country's business community are concerned about child rights. "We are conscious about their rights. At the same time, I also think that we need to do more to protect and uphold their rights."
"The business community should lead from the front in protecting all aspects of child rights," said Ibrahim, who is also a leading exporter of apparel products.