 The future of child brick factory workers in Bangladesh is shackled in physical labour more permanent than steel bars.A majority of children in Bangladesh are born to work. According to the UN Children's Fund report, more than 6.3 million children under 14 are working in Bangladesh, a number that is constantly rising despite a 17-year old ban on child labour.
The problem has become so complex over the years that people no more talk about children at work as victims of exploitation, or the need for literacy and other basic necessities for these deprived souls. It is more about the very poor conditions that these child labourers work in, with an ever increasing risk to their lives.
Although, for quite a number of years, tender aged children have been found working as labourers in the garment and leather industries and as domestic servants, the worst form of labour that these kids perform is in brick factories.
Factory owners pay them about 400 to 700 taka (10 USD) a month, while an adult worker earns up to 5,000 taka per month for the same job. The children work in terrible conditions in the dingy, dark brick factories often with no safety measures.
The brick-making industry accounts for one per cent of Bangladesh's GDP. Bangladesh has about 6,000 registered brickworks and about 2,000 illegal ones. The illegal brickworks are only built for short-term production while the traditional units produce bricks for just five months a year because of the monsoon season.
Entire families are employed at the traditional brickworks with parents and children working together and most often the children carrying the two-kilogram bricks.
The kilns are a major source of air pollution while sanitary is limited as there is very little or no safety equipment in place. This exposes the workers, especially the vulnerable children, to respiratory problems.
Extreme forms of poverty hinder the implementation of child rights in Bangladesh. Child labour is part of a vicious cycle, with poverty as a main cause as well as a main consequence. The state of education in the country is also abysmal as nearly 50 per cent of students drop out before they complete primary education. These drop outs then join the child labour force.
It is high time that the Bangladeshi government worked hand in and with international agencies like the UN, NGOs and public-private sector organizations to eliminate the problem. Poverty needs to be addressed at a large scale. The government can also enhance its vocational skills training facilities to the poor children who cannot afford to spend six hours at school. These children can develop skills and contribute to their family's income through proper means instead of becoming victims of exploitation, while continuing their education.
The level of awareness on the issue of child labour and laws prohibiting it need to be addressed by the state at a serious level. Change should come from within and the rather indifferent attitude of the Bangladeshi society should be replaced with endeavours towards building an environment that protects child rights.
There are hundreds of children in Bangladesh working in brick factories today, imprisoned in physical labour more permanently than steel bars and iron locks. Labour not only deprives these children from a prosperous future but is also depriving a society from a healthy future generation. It is about time that the government and civil society unites and takes serious measures against exploitation of the hapless children. There is certainly a need to stop this injustice rather than providing rubber gloves at the brick factory. 
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