Only 16 percent of private companies in Bangladesh are contributing to social development through their corporate social responsibility activities. Save the Children-Bangladesh said in a report yesterday.

The survey conducted on 24 companies from July to August this year found that only four of them have CSR activities, said Shahida Begum, programme director of the education for youth empowerment wing of Save the Children-Bangladesh.

Forty-six percent of the surveyed companies mentioned that CSR and compliance would increase their business opportunities, she said while presenting the report at Youth Convention 2013 as part of the formulation of 'National CSR Policy for Children'.

The labour and employment ministry and Save the Children-Bangladesh jointly organised the programme in Osmani Memorial Hall in Dhaka. Around 700 youth representatives attended the convention.

The labour ministry included a provision in the latest amendment of the Labour Act- 2013 that all private companies must have at least a 10 percent apprenticeship system foryoung job seekers.

But the report mentioned that around 79 percent companies do not have any apprenticeship system while around 80 percent of them lack sufficient skilled manpower.

Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar said they were working to encourage all private companies to reserve 10 percent for apprenticeship for the unemployed youth so that they can be skilled and engaged in work at home and abroad.

Private companies coming forward to remove unemployment through their CSR activities could boost the country's development, he said.

Save the Children-Bangladesh is currendy implementing a project to combat child labour through CSR in Bangladesh.

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Under the project, it has already reached 12,500 vulnerable children and youth engaged in hazardous work in urban areas.

A total of 10,000 children have enjoyed improved working conditions in the formal sector and 1,000 children have built their capacity to carry out advocacy for their own rights and better working conditions.

Some 280 informal companies and 20 formal companies are collaborating with the project.

Michael McGrath, country director of Save the Children Bangladesh, Philippe Jacques, head of cooperation of European Union delegation to Bangladesh, also spoke.