Socio-Economic Correlates of Child Labour in Agriculture Sector: Some Selected Rural Areas of Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Abstract

Child is the father of a man. Child is the wealth of a state. Child is the hope and future of a nation. Child is the pioneer of human civilization. When the child is so important in the life of a nation; he can neither be ignored nor be neglected in the onward march of the world civilization. Child should therefore be properly reared up for the sake of human civilization, for the sake of a nation and its government. Environment should be so created that a child properly grows physically; mentally as well as intellectually to play its due role in tomorrow's society. Child is the continuation of human civilization and bears the testimony of parenthood and generation. It is the foundation of a family, a society, a nation and the world as a whole. It requires careful and effective measures for his proper nourishment by the concerned person and authority. It is to be provided with the basics he requires. But unfortunately, this does not prevail all over the world equally specially in the developing countries. A few fortunate children of these countries are provided with their basics while the rest are denied of their basic needs, physical and mental growth. They are compelled to offer labour for their livelihood before they attain majority. They work with the hammer and the spade instead of working with the book and the pencil. Sometimes circumstantially they go into the clutches of anti-social elements, create law and order problems and finally they become liability of the state instead of becoming an asset (Siddiqua, 2002). In the formal sector, garment factories topped the list to absorb the highest number of child workers. The issue of child labour in Bangladesh become most discussed and debatable in early I 990's when the United States and other foreign buyers refused to import garments from Bangladesh as long as child labour in garment factories in Bangladesh attracts most international attention. Child lnbour in Bangladesh and other developing countries reveal that the vast majority of working children are employed in agriculture and domestic service sectors where children are taking part in service, small-scale manufacturing, and various agricultural occupations; they also perfonn household chores such as fetching water. collecting firewood, cooking and taking care of younger siblings. Although many of these children are working under supervision, full-time work can deter them from attending school, and many home-based activities can be as harmful as work performed outside the home (!LO, 1996).