Child labour undermines economic morality: Sharmin

“Where child labour exists, economic morality cannot,” said Sharmin S Murshid, Advisor to the Ministry of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, calling for urgent, united action to eliminate child labour from all spheres of society.

Speaking as the chief guest at a shadow parliament competition held at the Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) on Saturday, she emphasized that child labour is not a sign of dignity—it is a violation of children’s rights. The event was organized by Debate for Democracy in observance of World Day Against Child Labour.

“Poverty and child labour are deeply interconnected,” she said. “We cannot address one without the other. Eliminating child labour requires prioritizing poverty reduction and a coordinated approach from the state, society, private sector, and development partners.”

Sharmin also criticized past governments for fostering corruption that eroded progress in social development. “Corruption during the previous regime consumed public projects like termites. Every project carried traces of misappropriation,” she said. “The current interim government has shown zero tolerance for corruption. The next government must carry that legacy forward.”

Highlighting the failure to implement sensitive policies under repressive systems, she cited the rollback of child marriage reforms: “The previous regime dangerously lowered the legal marriage age from 18 to 16, undermining years of progress. In a country where dowry and child marriage couldn’t be stopped by law alone, ending child labour through law only is unrealistic.”

Sharmin concluded by calling for systemic integrity: “You cannot legislate morality—you must build it into governance, education, and economic planning.”

The event was chaired by Debate for Democracy Chairman Hassan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron, who echoed concerns over past corruption in child labour elimination projects, and called for transparency and accountability going forward.