UK announces £5m to help Bangladesh tackle child labour

The UK has announced a £5million programme to support the government of Bangladesh deliver its commitment to eliminate the worst form of child labour.

This is part of UK’s effort to cement its position as a global leader in the fight against forced labour, galvanising international action to stamp out this vicious scourge and launching a range of projects to tackle child labour across Africa and Asia, the British High Commission said in a statement on Tuesday.

The UK will commit extra support in the global fight against forced labour, taking the UK spend to over £200 million to help create jobs, strengthen law enforcement, improve recruitment practices so people do not become victims and provide vital protections for those who do.

The UK Aid is working to wipe out forced labour, which costs the British economy an estimated £4.3 billion a year.

“From the clothes we wear to the food we eat, the insidious virus of forced labour is infiltrating all aspects of our daily life without us even realising,” International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said while announcing the new programme.

“Not only does it have a huge cost to the global and the UK’s economy, it is a shameful stain on our global conscience that must be eradicated for good.”

“No one nation can banish this borderless crime alone. The international community must collaborate to dismantle predatory trafficking networks, support victims, strengthen justice systems and create sustainable alternative livelihoods.”

A year ago, the prime minister stood up at the UN General Assembly and launched a global call to action to eliminate the borderless scourge of forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking, while doubling the UK’s aid spending on modern slavery to £150 million.

Just one year on, 75 UN members have signed this call to action and the UK has gone above and beyond its original commitment, increasing UK Aid support by over a third to £200m, to tackle the root causes of slavery in key source and transit countries across Africa and Asia.

Modern day slavery costs the UK £4.3billion a year, in terms of policing at home and abroad, and victim care and rehabilitation.

As part of its spending increase, the UK will launch several programmes to tackle child labour across Africa and Asia. This includes £26 million aid package to tackle the worst forms of child labour through a major new programme across six Asian countries, including Bangladesh.

Working in partnership with UNICEF, the International Labour Organisation and the IDS, the UK support will reduce the vulnerability of children to bonded labour in hazardous industries, such as agriculture, and clamp down on children being trafficked into commercial sex work.

Evidence-based interventions that tackle the drivers of child labour will be rolled out, such as social protection and cash transfer support for families affected.

There will be a £5 million programme to support the government of Bangladesh to deliver its commitment to eliminate the worst forms of child labour in the country.

The UK and the US along with Canada, New Zealand and Australia have announced that they have agreed on four new international principles which will provide a practical framework for governments to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery in global supply chains.

This group of five will meet annually to coordinate their efforts. The four principles are: governments must act to prevent human trafficking in their procurement practices; encourage the private sector to follow suit; promote responsible recruitment practices; and coordinate their actions with other governments.