Online Desk :

State Minister for labour and employment Nazrul Islam Chowdhury has called for mitigating the child labour for building improved, prosperous and smart Bangladesh.

He stressed the need for forging social resistance against child labour. Simultaneously, utmost emphasis should be given on transforming the children into skilled workforces through technical and vocational education.

The state minister was addressing a workshop on mitigating the child labour organized by his ministry at the office conference hall of Divisional Commissioner here today as chief guest.

With Commissioner of Rajshahi division Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir in the chair, the meeting was addressed by Secretary to the ministry Mahbub Alam, Additional Secretary Jahangir Alam, Director General of the Directorate of Labour Tariqul Alam and Inspector General of Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments Abdur Rahman Khan as special guests.

Additional Divisional Commissioner Tartafder Akter Jamil, Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Shamim Ahmed, Superintendent of Police Saifur Rahman and Chief Field Officer of UNICEF Toufique Ahmed also spoke.

State Minister Nazrul Islam Chowdhury said they have adopted a pilot project for preventing child labour and Rajshahi will be freed from child labour through intervention of the project.

He also said the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly for halting child labour. He added that 43 sectors have already been banned from child labour through declaring those as riskiest.

Nazrul Islam also said social responsibility coupled with concerted efforts of all the government and non-government organizations concerned can be the best way of preventing child labour.

Side by side with building large-scale mass-awareness, owners of factories and industries should come forward and work together to eliminate the child labour for protecting their legitimate rights.

Later, the state minister visited the divisional office of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, National Occupational Health and Security related Research and Training Institute and Divisional Labour Office together with sharing views with the officials and others concerned respectively.