ZCZC
BSS-54
CHILD-LABOUR-TANNERY
Govt to take legal action for child employment in tanneries
DHAKA, July 22, 2020 (BSS) – The government will take legal action against the tannery owners in case of employing child as labour at the tannery industries after the Eid ul Azha.
“The Ministry of Labour and Employment will closely monitor to check child labour employment in the tannery and leather industries after the Eid as rawhide transportation, preservation and processing are hazardous for the children”, said an official statement here today.
In this regard, the ministry for the first time has issued a letter to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) for taking necessary action ahead of the Eid.
“Instructions have been given to the DIFE in line with the directives of its State Minister Begum Monnujan Sufian for taking necessary action in this regard”, said Labour and Employment Secretary KM Abdus Salam.
In 2013, the government has identified a total of 38 categories of works including rawhide processing in the tannery and leather industries as ‘hazardous’ works for children.
As per the labour law, no children before 18 years old could be employed in the hazardous work.
“The tannery and leather industries have been declared hundred per cent child labour free and regular monitoring is going on there to maintain it continuously”, said DIFE’s Inspector General Shib Nath Roy.
“It is a common phenomenon to employ child labor in the works of raw animal skin transporting, preservation and processing after the Eid-ul Azha”, said the letter.
As various chemical agents including acids are being used in the animal skin processing so, the atmosphere of the tannery industry is unhealthy for physical and mental growth of the children, it warned.
BSS/pr/OG/KU/