The idea of business and human rights is an emerging concept of international law. Human rights are greatly influenced, positively or negatively, by the business activities of transnational corporations, industries and business enterprises. Consequently, business and children’s rights are comparatively new and evolving agenda in international human rights law. Children’s rights both as right holders and stakeholders have been affected by business activities.
This article focuses on two basic questions. Firstly: how business activities affect the rights of children, especially child labourer’s rights in the context of Bangladesh; and secondly: whether the laws and regulations of domestic and international law is sufficient to redress the violation of children’s rights. The article’s premise is to find what should be the role of different actors in connection to the rights of children affected by the activities of business.
The article concentrates on the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights, the UNICEF Global Compact and Save the Children “Children’s rights and Business Principles known as CRB Principles” (May-2012) and the Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment no.16 which deals with the obligations of states in relation to business and children’s rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Convention on the Worst Form of Child labour and ILO
Table of Contents
1. Part-I
1.1 Introduction:
1.1.1 Relationship between Children Rights with Business and CSR:
2. Part-II
2.1 Business and Children Rights: International Legal Framework:
2.2 Socio-Economic Context of Child Labour and Child Rights in Bangladesh:
3. Part-III
3.1 Gaps: A Way Forward:
3.2 Concluding Remarks: A Compelling Case of Partnership
Objectives and Themes
This article explores the evolving intersection of business activities and children's rights, specifically analyzing the impact of transnational corporations and local industries within the socio-economic framework of Bangladesh. It examines whether existing domestic and international legal instruments are adequate to protect children from economic exploitation and human rights violations, ultimately proposing a multi-actor partnership model to enhance accountability and enforcement.
- The relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and children's human rights.
- International legal frameworks, including the UN Guiding Principles and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
- The socio-economic realities and prevalence of child labour in Bangladesh.
- The role of state, NGOs, and National Human Rights Institutions in enforcing protections.
- Legislative and institutional gaps in current labour regulations and enforcement mechanisms.
Excerpt from the Book
Socio-Economic Context of Child Labour and Child Rights in Bangladesh:
Like many other developing countries, the issue of business and children’s rights is of great importance in Bangladesh. Children rights are not limited to child labour rights only. However, due to the socio-economic conditions, the rights of child labourers are discussed in this part. In Bangladesh, about 7 million children are working in formal and informal sectors. The rights of those working children are greatly influenced by business activities. Bangladesh is a developing country with 160 million people and like many developing countries, child labour is our sheer reality. Child labour is a very common scenario and from the point of economic reality and social norms, it is widely accepted undesirable reality of Bangladesh. Statistics reveal that there were about 7 million children engaged in different sectors in Bangladesh. Another study shows that total child labour is 12.8% from the year 2002 to 2012. The percentage of child labour (male) is 17.5 and child labour (female) is 8.1 from the year 2002 to 2012.
The number of working children (aged 5 -17) is 7.4 million and aged (5-14) is 4.7 million. About 1.4 million children are engaging in hazardous work. According to the report of Bureau of Statistics, about 49.5% of total child work force was involved in informal sector like agriculture or family farm or business, 28.6% were engaged as day labourers, and 25.4% were in transport sector while 14% were sales workers.
In Bangladesh, the first and foremost reason for the child labour is poverty. Poverty ridden families are unable to send their children to school and thinks it fit to involve their children in their profession or some other employment to help them to support their families. Accordingly, children are forced to work in order to earn their livelihood, at the cost of their childhood. Due to poverty, ignorance, lack of knowledge and consciousness about rights and discrimination, children are deprived of their basic rights like rights to education, balance diet, health and nutrition which are detrimental to their overall development.
Summary of Chapters
Part-I: This section provides an introduction to the business-human rights nexus and specifically analyzes the relationship between children's rights, business operations, and Corporate Social Responsibility.
Part-II: This chapter reviews the international legal framework governing children's rights and examines the specific socio-economic challenges regarding child labour within Bangladesh.
Part-III: This section identifies systemic gaps in legislation and enforcement, concluding with a call for multi-stakeholder partnerships to ensure the protection of children's rights.
Keywords
Corporate Social Responsibility, Children’s Rights, Business, International Human Rights, UN Global Compact, Worst Form of Child Labour, Hazardous Work, Bangladesh, Child Labour, Socio-Economic Context, Legal Framework, Policy Reform, Accountability.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research paper?
The paper examines how business activities influence children's rights, with a primary focus on the socio-economic context of Bangladesh and the effectiveness of existing legal protections.
What are the key thematic areas addressed?
The key themes include the impact of transnational corporations on children, the role of CSR, international human rights frameworks, child labour in Bangladesh, and the necessity of multi-stakeholder accountability.
What is the primary research objective?
The objective is to determine how business activities affect children's rights and whether domestic and international laws are sufficient to redress violations, specifically in Bangladesh.
Which scientific methodology is utilized?
The work employs a legal-analytical approach, reviewing international conventions, national legislations, and institutional guidelines alongside statistical reports to identify protection gaps.
What aspects are covered in the main body?
The main body evaluates international legal instruments (such as the CRC and UN Guiding Principles), documents the prevalence of child labour in Bangladesh, and analyzes the role of government and NGOs in mitigation.
Which keywords best characterize this study?
Key terms include Corporate Social Responsibility, Children’s Rights, Business, International Human Rights, and Child Labour.
How does the author define the "Bhopal gas tragedy" in the context of children's rights?
It is cited as a seminal industrial disaster demonstrating how corporate negligence and a lack of CSR directly lead to severe, transgenerational violations of human and children's rights.
Why does the author argue that current Bangladeshi labour laws are insufficient?
The author argues that laws like the Labour Act-2006 focus primarily on the formal sector, ignore the widespread informal sector where most child labourers work, and impose only nominal penalties for violations.
What role should National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) play according to the paper?
NHRIs are encouraged to monitor business compliance, handle complaints through mediation, and provide guidance to both the government and business enterprises to ensure children's rights are upheld.
What is the "compelling case of partnership" concluded by the author?
The author concludes that because resource and capacity constraints exist, a coordinated, shared responsibility model between the state, business entities, and civil society is essential to build a child-friendly environment.
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- Syeda Jhuma (Autor:in), Sarwar Hossain (Autor:in), 2014, International and National Discourse of Business and Children’s Rights. Bangladesh Perspective, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/341643
