In the coastal belt of Barguna, dawn does not arrive with the sound of school bells. It breaks instead with the clatter of nets, splash of oars, and hurried footsteps of children racing toward the river. From bustling fish depot to the deepsea, children are struggling for survival.
In the char areas surrounded by the Bishkhali River, a generation is growing up with salt on their skin and labour on their shoulders. Poverty and illiteracy—two predators far more relentless than the river’s tides—have trapped thousands of children in lives defined by work, not wonder.
Where childhood means battle for survival
In many villages,including Boraitala, Dhalua, Latakata, Bainsharmet, and Baliatali under Sadar upazila, the river shapes everything: livelihood, loss, and the limits of a child’s dreams.
Sajib (14) stands on the riverbank at dawn, preparing nets instead of books. He speaks quietly, as though afraid his dreams might be overheard and dismissed.“I want to study… but poverty never leaves us. Education isn’t for people like us—it’s for the rich kids,” he says, eyes fixed on the water.
A short distance away, 13-year-old Faysal drags a boat toward the river. He fishes to keep his family fed, selling whatever he can catch.“Kids of my age go to school, but I go to the river,” he says with a shrug heavy beyond his years. “What’s the point of school if there’s nothing to eat?”For families who have battled storms, pirates, and debt, the river is both hope andcurse.
Anwar Hossain, a fisherman from Dhalua, says, “Fishermen lose everything—boats, nets—to storms and pirates. Then, debts crush us. How can we not send our children to work?”
Where labouroutweighs youth
By sunrise, hundreds of childrensort out fish, haul ropes, unload trawlers, and run errands across chaotic markets. Their shadows mingle with those of seasoned fishermen, indistinguishable except for their size.
Inside the Bargunafish landing centre, children dart between piles of fish and shouting wholesalers. Among them is Raju, a boy who once merely wandered the market out of curiosity. Now, he is a full-time labourer.
“Of course, I want to study and be someone,” Raju says, balancing a stack of crates. “But who will run the household? Education isn’t in our fate.”
Nearby, 17-year-old Rasel lifts basket after basket from freshly arrived trawlers. His father died when he was small; his income is all his family has.“If I don’t work, how will we live?” he asks simply.
Shutki Palli (dried fish production area)
For six months, the chars are abuzz with fishermen and workers from across the coast. Their children follow, stepping into roles shaped entirely by necessity.Boats anchor. Fish spill out in heaps. And children rush forward—sticks across their shoulders, baskets dangling from ropes. They collect, wash, dry, and sort out fish from morning to dusk.
Fourteen-year-old Belal is one of them. Once a student with ambitions, he dreamed of becoming a doctor or an engineer. Then disaster struck.
“Life was good once,” he recalls. “My father had a trawler. But when it sank, our life sank too. My education drowned with it.”Now he works alongside his father to repay debts, his dreams as brittle as the dried fish he handles.
Around fifty children, including Faysal, Shawon, Kamrul, and Sajal, share Belal’s fate. Employers prefer them because they work harder for less. Some are brought from distant districts, hired through verbal agreements. Local children earn Tk100–150 a day.
Mobarok Hossain, a resident of the char, says, “We don’t force children. Their families are poor, so they come on their own. If they didn’t, we’d hire adults.”
Laws and policies
All are meant to guarantee safety, education, and a childhood free from hazardous work. Bangladesh is also a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Human rights activist Advocate MiskatSajjat believes the gap lies in implementation.“Without proper enforcement and awareness, nothing will change. Temporary learning centres during the dry-fish season could help children continue their education.”
Barguna Deputy Commissioner Taslima Akhter acknowledges the challenge.“Programmes are being implemented, but poverty remains the biggest reason behind school dropout and hazardous jobs,” she says, adding that unless families become economically stable, children cannot be kept away from hazardous jobs.
