Bangladesh: Child labour affecting millions of children

According to a UNICEF report, Bangladesh has 421,000 child domestic workers, three quarters of whom are girls. 1.3 million children are involved in what is deemed hazardous labour, with an estimated 3.2 million child laborers in the country.

Working children in ‘hidden jobs’ are at high risk of abuse and exploitation. Domestic workers particularly are vulnerable. Almost 90% work 7 days per week and sleep at their employers house.

Working children often live away from their families in situations where they are exposed to violence, abuse and economic exploitation. Their vulnerable situation puts them at risk of trafficking as they seek a better life for themselves. A rapid assessment of commercially sexually exploited children showed that half worked in other sectors before being lured into sex work. Additionally, more than half had been forced or trafficked into the industry, lured by false promises of jobs or marriage. The life of a child sex worker is one of violence, exploitation and physical and psychological health problems. The majority are depressed and three-quarters of the child sex workers were ill in the three months before the rapid assessment survey, many with sexually transmitted diseases.

Poverty, difficult and unstable home situations, other abuses are some of the factors that contribute to this terrible situation for children. How would Jesus want to meet this situation? If he was in Bangladesh today, what do we find from scripture that shows what he might do. Use that to pray for the church in that nation. If he lived where you live, and was looking at Bangladesh, what do you see that he would do. Pray for yourself and the children in Bangladesh in the light of this.