With a population of about 170 million, Bangladesh faces serious challenges in protecting its children, who make up roughly 40–45% of the population. Despite ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child and enacting the Children’s Act 2013, children remain highly vulnerable. The 2025 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) shows that 86% of children aged 1–14 have experienced violent discipline in the past month. Child marriage is also widespread: 47% of women aged 20–24 married before 18, and 13% before 15, while overall 56% of women aged 18–49 was married before turning 18.
Child labor is closely linked to broader child protection challenges in Bangladesh. About 3.54 million children aged 5–17 is engaged in work, including 1.78 million in child labor and 1.07 million in hazardous conditions. While economic hardship is a central driver, child labor is sustained by a set of mutually reinforcing factors on both the household and demand sides. Families facing chronic poverty and sudden economic shocks often have few viable alternatives to sending children to work, particularly where social protection is weak or fragmented. At the same time, low awareness of the risks associated with child labor and limited understanding of the long-term value of education mean that immediate income is frequently prioritized over children’s learning and development.
These household-level vulnerabilities are compounded by social norms and market dynamics. In many communities, child labor is still seen as acceptable or even necessary, while employers in low-wage, informal, and subcontracted sectors continue to rely on cheap, flexible labor with little pressure to change.
Even though Bangladesh has laws in place, including the National Child Labor Elimination Policy (2010) and related provisions, enforcement remains weak like an insufficient number of labor inspectors. Taken together, this mix of economic pressure, limited awareness, inadequate implementation and regulation, and persistent demand for low-cost labor results in millions of children continuing to work often in hazardous conditions.
From Policy to Practice: Communities and Systems that Prevent Child Labor
Addressing child labor, therefore, requires not only legal frameworks but also community-level awareness, strengthened protection systems, and coordinated action across all levels of society. To address these challenges, Save the Children focuses on:
Strengthening community-based child protection systems
Community child clubs and Community-Based Child Protection Committees play a key role in identifying children facing protection concerns. They respond to cases by taking appropriate actions, including reporting to the relevant authorities and facilitating referrals to support services.
Empowering children and youth
Through participation in community child clubs, children build awareness of their rights, the risks associated with child labour, and other protection issues, as well as the importance of education. They also develop essential soft skills—such as empathy, confidence, leadership, communication, and trust—that help them navigate challenges and support one another in protecting themselves and their peers.
Raising awareness and shifting social norms
Engagement with families, teachers, communities, and local governments helps challenge the normalization of child labor and promotes a shared understanding of the value of education and child protection.
Enhancing coordination with child protection authorities and actors
Collaboration with social services, schools, local government, and other child protection actors in local and national levels strengthens coordination mechanisms, ensuring more timely and effective responses for children at risk, while also contributing to preventing future cases.
Going Back to School
Raihan (13) was once engaged in child labour in a small family-owned store and salt factory, working long hours to support his family. When he joined the Child Club, he became more aware of the impacts of child labor, the need for child protection, the importance of education, and the opportunities for his future. “Talking in the groups made me realize the work was harmful. I want to go back to school and study with my friends,” states Raihan. He approached his parents with our community mobilizers and informed them about the need for school. His parents expressed their concern and interest in going back to school. Raihan says, “I am going to school now, and very focused on my education. I know it’ll help me have a better future. The club made me realize that it was so important.” Now he has become an active member of the Child Club to support other children in his community.
Taking Protection Forward
Building on these efforts, a more comprehensive and sustainable response requires action across community, national, and private sector levels. Save the Children will focus on:
Child Rights and Business Principles (CRBP)
Save the Children is strengthening its commitment to the CRBP as a core framework to address child labour across society. Recognizing that sustainable solutions require multi-level action, the organization is scaling up community-based interventions while engaging businesses to eliminate child labour from supply chains and promote practices that protect children’s rights.
Empowering children and youth and shifting social norms
Community-based child protection systems will be strengthened and expanded to high-risk locations. Through Child Clubs and Community-Based Child Protection Committees, children, youth, and communities will be empowered to create their own safe environments. Long-term engagement will help shift social norms that normalize child labour and strengthen recognition of the value of education and children’s rights.
Strengthening national coordination and Advocacy
Collaboration with key ministries, including Labour and Employment and Social Welfare, will be deepened and will accelerate evidence-based advocacy for effective implementation of legal frameworks and integrated child protection across sectors, ensuring that children’s perspectives inform policy
Strengthening social protection and economic resilience
By linking child protection with social protection and livelihood support, Save the Children will help vulnerable households manage economic shocks and reduce reliance on negative coping strategies, including child labor.
