The government yesterday finalised the draft of National Child Labour Elimination Policy-2008, seeking to phase out child labour and rehabilitate over 1 million children engaged in risky jobs.

At a meeting at the secretariat the labour and manpower ministry also resolved to have 30,000 working children enrolled for primary education and introduce stipends for them.

Identifying ship breaking as the most hazardous job, it decided to commission two taskforces–one to be comprised of government officials and the other of non-government ones–to visit Chittagong and report back on child labour situation there.

Labour and Manpower Adviser Anwarul Iqbal who chaired the meeting said a long term initiative to eliminate child labour would follow once the draft policy is approved by the cabinet.

“Hopefully, we will place the draft before the council of advisers by the end of this month,” he told reporters after the meeting that gave a unanimous consent to the draft.

Government officials and representatives of NGOs, factory owners and employees were involved in scripting the draft over four long years.

The policy suggests fixing the working hours and wage for child workers.

Despite policies and laws against child labour, thousands of children are employed in bidi (hand-rolled cigarette), leather-tanning and construction industries, farming, forestry and fishery. Besides, a huge number of them work as domestic help, porter, transport worker and street vendor.

Successive governments in the past took steps to tail off the exploitative practice, but it continued unabated due to poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and lack of awareness among parents.

“The policy will work as guidelines for curbing child labour as well as for rehabilitating those involved in risky and hazardous jobs,” said Anwarul Hakim, deputy secretary of the labour and manpower ministry.

“It will give directives on what to do and what not regarding child labour,” Hakim, who is also in charge of the ILO (International Labour Organisation) desk at the ministry, told The Daily Star.

According to the National Child Labour Survey conducted in 2003, the number of child labourers aged between 7 and 17 is 30.18 lakh. However, many NGOs and government officials believe the number would be much higher.

“The reality is child labour is on the rise,” said an official of the labour ministry.

The survey also revealed that 10.3 lakh working children are engaged in risky jobs.

The draft policy detailed how the children are subjected to discrimination as most of the employers tend to hire them for token wages and even get them work without pay.

It observed that the owners do not feel the need for improving the working conditions let alone ensure healthcare for the child workers.

It said special measures would be taken for physically handicapped and mentally retarded children and those belonging to different races. If necessary, a separate policy would be formulated so that their condition improves.

The draft national policy proposed conducting more research on child labour, its causes and solution, and setting up a child labour unit and national child labour welfare council. It also calls for greater involvement of the NGOs in the campaign to end child labour.