To eliminate hazardous child labour, ensure the protection of children, and strengthen an effective early warning system to prevent child labour, an exchange meeting was held on 8 September 2026 in the conference room of the Cox’s Bazar Sadar Upazila Parishad.
As the nominated NGO representative member of the Child Labour Monitoring Committee, YPSA organized the meeting of the Cox’s Bazar Upazila Child Labour Monitoring Committee (UCLMC).
The meeting was chaired by Mohammad Ali Shaheen, Head of Advocacy at YPSA and a member of the Cox’s Bazar UCLMC. Tahmina Akter, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Cox’s Bazar Sadar, attended as the chief guest.
In her remarks, the chief guest said, “Children are the national assets of tomorrow. It is our collective responsibility to free children from hazardous work and bring them back to the light of education.
In her speech, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tahmina Akter emphasized increasing regular monitoring in Cox’s Bazar’s hotel-motel zone, the dry fish processing area of Nazirartek, coastal areas, and other areas where child labour is likely to occur.
At the time, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer praised the coordination between YPSA Free Kids (Call) Project activities and the relevant government departments.
The meeting began with a welcome speech by Ali Adnan, Program Officer and member of YPSA’s Advocacy Unit in Cox’s Bazar, and was supervised throughout by Program Officer Tofayelur Rahman. Project Officer Jahidul Islam spoke on behalf of the project.
In his presidential remarks, Mohammad Ali Shaheen said, “Child labour is not only a social problem; it obstructs children’s education, safety, physical and mental development, and future prospects. Therefore, alongside law enforcement, coordinated initiatives by families, administration, educational institutions, industry owners, communities, and development organizations are needed to eliminate child labour.”
At the meeting, representatives from various government institutions, including the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), the Directorate of Primary Education, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Youth Development, the Department of Women Affairs, and the Department of Agricultural Extension, shared their opinions and recommendations on preventing child labour.
Farid Ahmed, Program Manager of donor organization Solidar Suisse, thanked the administration and emphasized the importance of activating the Child Labour Monitoring Committee and continuing its activities.
Among others present at the meeting were Md. Rafiqul Islam Khan, Upazila Primary Education Officer of Cox’s Bazar Sadar; Jahangir Alam, Upazila Cooperative Officer; Ashish Chandra Pal, Upazila Youth Development Officer; Bashir Ahmed, officer-in-charge from DIFE; Rashedul Hasan Md. Mohiuddin, representing the Secondary Education Officer; Jannatun Noor Ruma, Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer; Manjur Alam, Assistant Youth Development Officer; Hamidur Rahman, Assistant Teacher of a primary school; Md. Ramzan Ali, Upazila Women Affairs Officer; Sujan Pal, representing the Department of Social Services; Asheka Jahan, Upazila Family Planning Officer; and others.
