Kids working 64 hrs a week

Photo: The Canadian Press

Thousands of Bangladeshi children who live in the capital's slums are working illegally for an average of 64 hours a week, with many employed by the garment industry making clothing for top global brands, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report by the London-based Overseas Development Institute found that 15 per cent of children aged 6-14 were not attending school so they could work full time.

At the age of 10, about 8 per cent of slum-dwelling children had jobs, the report said. By the time they reached 14, almost half were already working.

The report was based on a survey of 2,700 slum households in Dhaka, the capital.

In Bangladesh, it is illegal for children under 14 to work. It is also illegal to ask anyone to do "hazardous work" for more than 42 hours a week.

But child labour persists, as some factories do not require ID cards from their workers or do not understand that employing children is against the law.

Bangladesh's garment industry, the world's second largest after China, provides an economic lifeline for the impoverished country, accounting for some $25 billion in annual exports.