A four-year combined effort by the Bangladesh Garments Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEU. the International Labour Organisation (ILO) And the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have led to near -elimination of child labour from garments industries In the country.

Free from child labour: this leading garment factory in chittagong does not have any worer under 14 years of age.

Strict monitoring and age verification methods coupled with school facilities for the out of-work children have brought' down child labour in the garments sector from a staggering 43 per dent in 1996 to a mere five per cent In 2000.

Now 82 per cent of the industries does not have any worker aged below 14 working. However, the joint surveillance team suspects that the remaining factories could still be employing children surreptitiously.

In 1993, over 10,000 children in Bangladesh lost their jobs at the garments factories after the enactment US Senator Harkin's bill which called for an immediate ban on imports from countries where goods are manufactured totally or in parts with the help of childlabour.

To avoid jeopardisigt their businesses, factory owners began dismissing child workers en mass without compensating or rehabilitating them arid their families. With so many potential breadearriers suddenly left out in the cold, it was riot surprising that many children in desperation took refuge in crime, finding no alternatives.

In October 1994 ILO and the UNICEF received a written supplication from 53 Bangladeshi children. In response, the organisation and a number of NG0s requested the 13GMEA riot to take any drastic measures against child workers until a proper educational system and other rehabilatory measures were introduced which would protect the interests of both the children and the entrepreneurs.

Consequently, a trilateral agreement was signed between the I3GMEA, ILO arid the UNICE Y on the July 4. 1995. to phase out child labour from the industry by providing informal education to tile sacked workers aged below 14. .

Following the accord, 336 education centres were set tip in Dhaka, Chittagong, Narayanganj, Gazipur arid Savar. There are 240 schools in the capital, 49 in Chittagong and 47 ill the other areas. At the start, sonic 9000 displaced garments workers were enrolled.

Every child, who regularly attends the centre, gets a S4elld of Tk. 300 per month. The BGMEA. UNICEF and the ILO are jointly sharing the expenses of the programme.

At present there are 75 such schools mostly in Dhaka, with around 1000sitiderits.

Majority of the factory discards has completed their stint at the schools, On completion of education, they have found better jobs. Seine have returned to their previous work.

Saju, 13, is a student of the Muhuripara learning centre, the only one of its kind remaining in Chittagong. She lost her job from a factory six months ago after the monitoring team had detected existence of child labour there.

Daughter of a rickshaw-puller, Saju said that she used to draw '17k 700 per month from that factory as salary arid contributed it to her family. Though she is earning far less, she is still happy and grateful for the education.

The BGMEA is constantly monitoring the situation in sonic 3000 garment industries of the country. If there is any violation ill 1Vic rules, the monitoring and verification learn instantly penalise ' s the aberrant industry.

ILO's watch-team pays unexpected visits to category 'A' factories once every four months , category B two month and category 'C' once a month.

According to chief technical advisor of ILO in Dhaka, Christian von Mitzlaff, the rules set towards elimination. of child labour from garments factories are strictly maintained. The monitoring teams have been given full authority to penalise the factories on the spot if they find any irregularities.

Discovery of even one child in any factors, is justification enough to penalise arid grade it," MitzIal717 said. "The garment owners are very much alert about the rules as they do not want unwarranted hazard by turning to child labour."

Saidul Islairi, team leader of Child Labour Verification and Monitoring System in Garment Factories of ILO, said that they have taken actions against 36 factories in Chittagong for employing under-aged work force following the ban on child labour.

Recently, the BGMEA, UNICEF and ILO have signed another Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) designed to keep the garments factories free from child labour through continued efforts.

The one-year agreement encourages the continuation of the present monitoring and social assistance programme. Under the MoU2, the BGMEA will contribute 200,000 US dollars, ILO 400,000 dollars and UNICEF 100,000 dollar for child labour monitoring. Skilled training. Cost of non-formal education rid economic empowerment of children formerly working at the garment factories.

Source: Daily Star