Child Labor in Bidi Factories: Current Situation in Bangladesh and Way Forward

Abstract

Bidi is one of the major tobacco products consumed in Bangladesh. There are around 65,000 workers in 117 bidi factories in the country and a significant portion of these workers are children. In this context, it is important to explore the child labor situation in bidi factories to highlight the need for regulating this harmful sector not only to control tobacco but also to ensure the children are protected from hazardous child labor in light of the prevailing laws and policies. This study attempts to gather evidences on child labor situation. A total of 160 child worker and 160 parents from four regions with higher concentration of bidi factories were surveyed. It is revealed that almost half of the child workers receive a payment of less than 30 Taka per day. This low wage rate was found as one of the influential factors making factory owners interested in employing child laborers. To stop the prevalence of child labor in bidi factories, enforcement of a strong policy with legislative bindings is necessary. Government support in form of safety net programs can be introduced.