A recent National Child Labour Survey for the year 2022 unveiled that Bangladesh harbors approximately 3.54 million working children aged 5–17, out of which 1.78 million are engaged in child labour, with 1.07 million toiling in hazardous conditions.

The findings emerged during the "Report Dissemination Program of Establishment-Based Sector-wise Working Children Survey-2023 and National Child Labour Survey-2022" conducted at the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) auditorium in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Thursday.

The State Minister for Planning, Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker, addressing the event as the chief guest, reiterated the government's commitment to eradicating child labour from Bangladesh by 2025.

Additionally, the Secretary of the Statistics and Informatics Division, Dr Shahnaz Arefin, emphasized the government's multifaceted approach to combat child labour, underscoring the importance of education and poverty alleviation measures in addressing the issue.

ILO Country Director Tuomo Poutiainen and Deputy High Commissioner of the British High Commission Matt Cannell echoed the imperative of urgent actions to eliminate child labour, with a focus on education and poverty reduction.

Moreover, former caretaker government adviser Rasheda K. Chowdhury advocated for enhancing government stipends for students and implementing mid-day meals in schools to mitigate child labour.

The survey highlighted various aspects of child labour, including its prevalence across different sectors, with alarming statistics revealing that a significant portion of child labourers work in hazardous conditions, earning meager incomes.