Unicef mourns children deaths in Narayanganj factory fire
“We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who died, were injured, or remain unaccounted for. With over 50 casualties reported, as many as 16 or more of these may be children.”
The United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef) mourns the deaths of the children, who lost their lives in the 8 July fire at Hashem Foods factory in Narayanganj's Rupganj upazila.
"We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who died, were injured, or remain unaccounted for. With over 50 casualties reported, as many as 16 or more of these may be children," it said in a statement on Sunday.
"As families continue to search for their missing children, the Unicef is working with the government to dispatch social workers to support children and families in Rupganj."
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This tragic incident brings to light yet again that despite laws that should protect them, many children in Bangladesh are not only working, but they are working in hazardous conditions, the statement said.
It said according to the Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2019, over four million children are working and more than three million of them are trapped in the worst forms of child labour that involve hazardous working conditions.
"The horrific deaths and suffering, which could have been avoided, are a stark reminder that all stakeholders must act now to protect children and must enforce compliance with the Children Act 2013 as well as child labour and occupational safety laws," added the statement.
