Safeguarding the Future of Bangladeshi Children: The Need for a Comprehensive National Educational System

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)—the human rights treaty ratified by the most States Parties—is binding international law which enumerates the rights guaranteed to all children worldwide. Despite the widespread ratification of the CRC, many countries lack the proper legislation and agencies to ensure that these rights are afforded to all children. One such country is Bangladesh. A relatively new country, Bangladesh gained its independence in 1971 and was one of the first twenty countries to ratify the CRC. Notwithstanding this eagerness to promote children’s rights, Bangladeshi children suffer from a high level of abuse and neglect, including being forced into child labor at a young age, falling victim to exploitation and trafficking, and failing to complete their education. The aggregate effect of these factors has a long-term and devastating impact on the child’s mental, physical, and behavioral development. This Note examines the recent actions taken by the Bangladeshi government to implement new legislation and create government agencies and social programs to focus on protecting children from child labor. While acknowledging these efforts, this Note discusses where these attempts fall short. In light of these problems, this Note will propose the creation of a nationwide comprehensive education that is uniform and available to all children throughout Bangladesh. It will stress the importance of collaboration between the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund and the Bangladeshi government to create a “child budget” to build new schools, train teachers and tutors, and create after-school programs. All of this, coupled with a focus on involving parents in their children’s education, will help children to get the tools they need to stay in school and create longstanding and achievable goals for their future