Universal birth registration is essential to preventing child labour and protecting children from exploitation, experts said on Thursday as Bangladesh marked World Day Against Child Labour.

Observed this year under the theme, “Red card to child labour: Fair play for children, decent work for adults,” the global campaign calls for stronger policy measures to shield children from hazardous and exploitative work. In Bangladesh, child rights advocates say birth registration is one of the most effective tools for achieving that goal.

Birth registration establishes a child's legal identity and enables access to essential public services. Children without official registration often face difficulties proving their age, making them more vulnerable to early entry into the labour market and exploitation.

According to available data, Bangladesh's average birth registration rate is around 50%, while only 40% of children under the age of five are registered. As a result, millions of children remain outside formal protection systems.

Experts are calling for amendments to the Birth and Death Registration Act 2004 to make all healthcare facilities legally responsible for registering newborns. Since about 67% of children in Bangladesh are born in healthcare centres, such a move could significantly boost registration coverage nationwide.

Advocates say the reform would support Bangladesh’s commitment to achieving universal registration under the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Decade by 2030 and help accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 8.7, which seeks the elimination of child labour in all its forms.

“Ensuring universal birth registration through legal reform can significantly reduce child labour, as well as exploitation and deprivation faced by children,” said ABM Zubair, executive director of research and advocacy organization PROGGA.

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