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Child Labor in Bangladesh

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  • Claire Salmon

    (University of Savoie, France)

Abstract

This article uses data from the Bangladesh Labor Force Survey 2000 to analyze the magnitude, nature and determinants of child labor in Bangladesh. The magnitude of the ‘child labor’ problem is large in Bangladesh, with around 5.4–7.9 million, or about one-fifth of all Bangladeshi children between the ages of 5 and 14 years, being classified as child workers in 2000. Most of these child workers work in the agricultural sector. Among the poorest quintile of households, the share of family income contributed by child workers reaches nearly 50 percent. The article finds support for the widely-held hypothesis that poverty compels children to work. The analysis of links between adult employment and child labor also lends support to the hypothesis that children are the last economic resource of the household. Children are much more likely to work when they live in a household where the potential of income generation is low and where this potential has already been used up.

Suggested Citation

  • Claire Salmon, 2005. "Child Labor in Bangladesh," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 21(1-2), pages 33-54, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:21:y:2005:i:1-2:p:33-54
    DOI: 10.1177/0169796X05053066
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Rasheda Khanam & Russell Ross, 2011. "Is child work a deterrent to school attendance and school attainment?," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(8), pages 692-713, July.
    2. Rasheda Khanam, 2008. "Child labour and school attendance: evidence from Bangladesh," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(1/2), pages 77-98, January.
    3. Stephen Bazen & Claire Salmon, 2010. "The impact of parental health on child labor: the case of Bangladesh," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 30(4), pages 2549-2557.
    4. Syed Imran Ali Meerza & Biswajit Bacher, 2011. "Socio-economic Condition of Child Worker of Bangladesh in Their Adulthood: An Econometric Analysis," SDSU Working Papers in Progress 22011, South Dakota State University, Department of Economics.
    5. Katrak Homi, 2012. "Loss in Rural Incomes, Children’s Education, and Child Labor," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 28(4), pages 403-417, December.
    6. Mohammad Nashir Uddin & Mohammad Hamiduzzaman & Bernhard G. Gunter, 2009. "Physical and Psychological Implications of Risky Child Labor: A Study in Sylhet City, Bangladesh," Bangladesh Development Research Working Paper Series (BDRWPS) BDRWPS No. 8, Bangladesh Development Research Center (BDRC).
    7. Syed Imran Ali Meerza, 2010. "Rural-Urban Migration and Its Consequences on Rural Children: An Empirical Study," SDSU Working Papers in Progress 12010, South Dakota State University, Department of Economics.
    8. Acaroglu, Hakan, 2010. "An empirical approach about some important features of child labor in Turkey," Business and Economic Horizons (BEH), Prague Development Center (PRADEC), vol. 3(3), pages 1-12, October.
    9. Asadul Islam & Chongwoo Choe, 2013. "Child Labor And Schooling Responses To Access To Microcredit In Rural Bangladesh," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 51(1), pages 46-61, January.
    10. Md Abdul Ahad & Mitu Chowdhury & Yvonne K. Parry & Eileen Willis, 2021. "Urban Child Labor in Bangladesh: Determinants and Its Possible Impacts on Health and Education," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-14, March.

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