Scenario's of life in Bangladesh

Many families in Bangladesh, approximately 70 million (World Bank 2003), live below the absolute poverty line. Women and children seem to come off the worst in this scenario, the following gives you some clue to how life is for many of these people.

• Child mortality is 52 in every 1000 children under the age of five and 41 in every 1000 of children under the age of one.

• 171,000 children under five will die in Bangladesh each year.

• Only 51% of pregnant women currently receive at least one ante natal check up, only 21% receive four (recommended minimum number of visits).

• Only 22% of women deliver their child with the support of a skilled birthing attendant.

• Between just 6 and 20% of parents register their children at birth.

• There are 4.9 million working children in Bangladesh, thats 14.2% of the total 35.06 million children living there between the ages of 5-14 years.

• The total of working children, between 5 and 17 years old, is estimated at 7.9 million.

• As many as 93.3% of all working children in the age group of 5-17 years, operate in the casual sector. Agriculture engages 4.5 million (56.4% children), while the services sector engages 2 million (25.9%), and industry, 1.4 million (17.7%);

• It is estimated that a total of 1.3 million children work 43 hours per week, or even beyond. Boys are more likely to work than girls.

• The worst forms of child labour are divided into five segments: steel, mechanical, vending, working in contact with toxic chemicals and transportation charges.

(Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) with the assistance of the ILO, 2003)