Escaping poverty through education: child labour in Bangladesh

Bangladesh has made considerable progress in preventing child labour. Yet this achievement is currently at risk. SWI swissinfo.ch reports from the fish-processing plant in Nazirartek, where many children work. It is the start of the winter season, but temperatures are still around 30°C in Nazirartek in southern Bangladesh. In this coastal town near the city of Cox’s Bazar the main product is dried fish. Mainly women, children and teenagers are employed in processing, packing and selling the fish, which has been caught by the huge fishing fleet out in the Gulf of Bengal. They cut the fish up, clean it and then lay it on wooden boards to dry out. They have to keep turning it for days on end. Working conditions are hard, and the standard of living in the slum area of Nazirartek is even lower than the average for Bangladesh. Child labour is common in this industry. These children don’t have time to go to school, and they may abandon their education altogether. That way they stay caught ...