A report from The Business Standard in Dhaka highlighted Bangladesh’s care economy as a significant untapped economic opportunity, constituting about 18.9% of the GDP. However, the sector, largely unregulated, heavily relies on underage domestic workers to meet the increasing demand for household and care services.
The report raised concerns about the rise in child domestic labor, with statistics showing that 9.2% of children aged five to 17 are involved in such work, as per data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics and UNICEF. One generation ago, it was common for poorer relatives to live with Bangladeshi families under an informal agreement of providing help in exchange for basic needs.
As urban life becomes more transactional, families are now less inclined to uphold this tradition, seeking faster, cheaper labor with fewer demands. Consequently, impoverished rural children are increasingly being exploited for household work due to their vulnerability.
The report emphasized the necessity of policy interventions to reform the care economy, advocating for the employment of adult workers at fair wages. It called for the conversion of the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy into enforceable legislation, with stringent measures against employers and agencies hiring underage labor.
To alleviate the situation, the report stressed the importance of supporting struggling families to prevent the exploitation of children for economic survival, emphasizing the need to keep children in school.
