Speakers at a virtual discussion called upon the authorities concerned to take measures so that the death of child workers is prevented and the hazardous child labour is eliminated immediately.
They also recommended special attention for children who are employed in unsafe factories in the country like Hashem Food and Beverage’s in Rupganj of Narayanganj.
Bdontv, a YouTube-based platform, arranged the virtual event on ‘Narayanganj Tragedy and Child Labour’ on Wednesday (July 14) night.
Speakers at the virtual discussion also called upon the authorities concerned to take initiative for preventing the tragic incident like Rupganj factory fire. Recurrence of such tragic incidents must be prevented through strict enforcement and monitoring of the law.
So, a commission should be formed to monitor the enforcement of law as well as the factories, said Advocate Abed Raja, a lawyer of Bangladesh Supreme Court.
He also said that a group of unscrupulous factory owners engage children in hazardous child labour, taking advantage of their poverty and helplessness to make money. It has to be stopped as well as protection of children must be ensured through strict enforcement and monitoring of the law, he added.
The lawyer called upon the government to bring the miscreants, who provide fake age certificates to work-seeking children, under the purview of law and ensure their exemplary punishment.
Advocate Abed Raja talked about the irregularities that were found in the Rupganj factory and said that not only the factory owners, the other authorities concerned related to giving factory’s approval and monitoring can’t avoid the responsibilities.
He also blamed the authorities of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments for the tragic incident, because if they had monitored and inspected the factory properly, the deaths could have been prevented.
“It requires approval from many departments, which are under different ministries, to set up a factory. How the Rupganj factory managed to get the approvals despite having safety flaws and faulty designs. It is a matter of concern,” said the lawyer.
Speaking at the event, M Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan, secretary general of Bangladesh National Awami Party (Bangladesh NAP), supported the lawyer and said that a commission can be formed to monitor the garments and other factories in the country so that no factory can run with faulty design and lacking safety measures.
He said that Narayanganj continues to be a hotspot for fire incidents. Fire frequently tends to get out of control because the workers of many factories lack basic fire safety equipment and training, he added.
