Exposing the Worst Forms of Child Labour in Bangladesh’s Leather Sector

Abstract

As one of the country’s biggest employers and its second largest exporter, the leather sector is big business in Bangladesh. But it is also in crisis. A dramatic decrease in the global demand for leather since COVID-19 has led to the collapse of the supply chain with workers, especially children, bearing the worst of the brunt. As cracks in the industry’s surface widen, new research from the Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA) programme shines a light into its hidden corners,revealing examples of the worst forms of child labour (WFCL) at almost every turn.