Concerns over the adverse effect of child labor are gradually increasing particularly from the commence-ment of the twentieth centenary. Now a days infant fatigue is not considered an isolated issue but a thickened segment of national-international efforts for economic and social development. The Media has been ever used as an efficient cause of overthrowing consciousness in the masses. The Media has the force to touch close to all. Many communal scientists confide that mass media replay is necessary if patent attention for childrens realism is to stay on the political procession, and if children safeguard worship are to keep responsible (Goddard & Saunders, 2001). According to the International Labor Office (ILO) children work the longer times and are the scalp paid of all laborers (Bequele and Boyden 1988). Bangla-desh is an extremely replenished country in the world. It has 1, 44,498 square kilometers in total area and more than 140 million populations (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2011). 

The people of Bangladesh, nearly 47% are beneath 16 years and 17% of the people are underneath 5 years of age. Child labor continues to be a fact in almost all parts of Bangladesh. A report from the UNESCO Institute of statistics on the Child labor situation in Bangladesh in 2016 explained that 4.3 percent of child labor (Age 5-14) exists in the performing population (1,326,411) and combining employment and institute 1.9 percent respectively. According to National Child Labor Elimination Policy 2010; objective three emphasizes the awareness of parents- “Raising awareness amongst parents, mass people and civil societies about the pernicious consequences of child labor; and objective two also stated that-Involving guardians of pursuit children in income-generating activities with a view of getting children out of the vicious circle of poverty”. 

Although the number of adolescent working through-out the realm is unknown, it is immensely large indeed and unquestionably in the hundreds of lakh. The extinct National Child Labor Survey report revealed that 1.2 million kiddies are only entangling in its scalp forms. Understanding media effects, and how to exercise the media constructively, can so be a neces-sary instrument for who solicitor for child, young people, and their families (Brawley 1995). The International Labor Organizations (ILO) Minimal Age Convention 138 narrated that a child of age 12 was accepted to futile labor in non-hazardous condition and a child of age 15 was accepted to drive the workforce (Schmitz et al., 2004). Its definition also explained that child labor is working that direction to deposition of childhood actions, occlusion, and misuse (UNICEF, 2010). Sub-Saharan Africa had the maxi-mum span worth of child labor in 2010; with various African nations vouch for above 50% of kiddies old 5-14 pursuit (UNICEF, 2012). The basic root of child labor is poorness and absence of schools (ILO, United Nations, 2008). Different former research found that penury forces parents to repose their kiddies afar from school but main them to enter into the work (Jensen & Nielsen, 1997). More than 5% of the worlds perfor-ming children are in Bangladesh (The Daily Star, 2011). Child laborer was 1.15 million in peasant areas and 0.29 million in civic areas and 0.25 million in City Corporation areas (NCLS, 2013; Sultana, 2020). 

Government parties should ken the right of the children to be safe from monetary occlusion and from execution any employment that is apparently to be perilous or to trespass with the childs lesson, or could be worse for the childs corporal, psychic, or social progress (Paul, 2008). International Labor Organi-zation (ILO) has been working for elimination of child labor in Bangladesh since 1994. There has been very limited research conducted about the media on human rights issues. This research aims to explore the preamble of mass media to creating awareness within unprivileged guardians versus child labor. All the output is made by using different software such as SPSS 20.0 and Ms. Excel (Hossain et al., 2020).

2.1 Study area 

The study was selected in Cumilla city as a study area. There are numerous factories, industries, garments, transports companies, restaurants, street hawkers, CNG conversion stations, bus terminals, railway stat-ions, water port, street shops, and street food shops as well domestic child workers living here. 

Fig 1: Cumilla Adarsha Sadar.

2.2 Study population

There are many districts poor and marginal people living in Cumilla city. Poor parents, child laborer were included as the study population.

2.3 Sampling Method and data collection tech-niques

The sampling method was a convenience sampling in this study. Though it is less reliable, this method was conducted because for low cost and less time. We also were dispossessed of a perfect sampling frame. Also in a qualitative study what we have as a segment in our study, often it was not feasible to use probability sampling. So, our sample in this survey consists of respondents living in freely accessible locales and who were willing to respond. The data collection technique is interview, specially structured interview. The final data collection tool, a semi-structured questionnaire with close-ended questions, was developed phase by phase. At first, a primary questionnaire was developed based on the literature to understand the research. Finally, the questionnaire was modified and finalized for data collection in the field.

2.4 Data analysis

Data were analyzed by using qualitative manner (reasoning, thematic analysis, narrative, and verb-atim), and survey information was analyzed by using simple and inferential statistical tools (Mean, Fre-quency distribution, Median, Standard Deviation, correlation) through SPSS software. Respondents opinion also is included in this work. Different marginal computations such as frequency distribution, pie charts, bar diagrams are used to display the graphical scenario at a glance. 

It is observed from Table 1 maximum of the child laborers are men. So, male adolescents are mostly engaged in child labor than female adolescents. The study explored that maximum of the child laborer fathers have no education and a small number of fathers are literate that is, 14.44% of fathers are literate and 85.56% of fathers are illiterate. The table also explored that, 27.78% Childs father is Farmer, 38.89% are daily workers, 13.33% doing small busi-ness, 7.78% are unoccupied and 12.22% have other occupations. It means that greater portion of the fathers is day laborers such as they are rickshaw puller, working in construction, light manufacturing, landscaping, and other similar jobs. Some of them are farmers, doing small business and some of them are unoccupied. 

Table 1: Socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents

Table 1 also reveals that the maximum number of fathers income lies less than 5000 takas. Their income level is so weak to sustain the primary needs of their family. Also, it is observed that most of the working children mother has no education. Small numbers of mothers have primary education only in this survey. According to the survey it is observed that only 10% of mothers of the working children have their primary education and 90% of mothers are un-educated. So, maximum child laborers mothers have no education. 

The study reveals that 75.55% of mothers are house-wives and 24.45% are doing other job. Maximum working children mother does not work outside, they are a housewife. Some of them are doing other jobs such as work as a housemaid, doing small business, etc. in our study. In conformity with the table, it is observed that maximum of the working children mothers have no income. They have no exploit in terms of family income. This survey also reveals that greater portion of the family is big and they have three and four children.

Table 2: Representing the number and percentage of Childs reason not for studying 

Table 3: Representing the number and percentage of the child laborer according their working status

Table 4: Representing the number and percentage of respondents opinion in terms of media role to create social awareness

Table 5: Satisfaction level of parents about the role of mass media to stop child labor

Table 6: Representing the number and percentages of most-viewed T.V. channels by the parents 

Table 2 explored that most of the working children (38.89) do not study because they are unable to afford the study costs. The remaining of them are do not study for the distance of the school (3.33), for helping housework (8.89), the unwillingness of the children (12.22), the unwillingness of parents (13.33), to support the family (14.45), and many other reasons (8.89). Table 3 explored that 16.67% Childs works 3-5 hours during the day, 41.11% work 6-8 hours, 23.33% work 9-11 hours and 18.89% Childs work much more from 9-11 hours per day. 

Fig 2: Representing the percentage of parents knowledge about mass media.

Fig 3: Respondent opinions to combat child labor.

Fig 4: Parents concern about “Child labor Act.”

According to Fig 2, it is observed that most parents consider television as a mass media. Some are consider print media, cinema, radio, internet, mobile phone, billboard as mass media. It is observed from the table that maximum parents consider television as the media in our study. Table 4 reveals that most parents (58.89) are disagree that media plays a significant preamble to generate social awareness, 16.67% are neutral. Maximum parents are involved in job therefore they no longer have time to watch the role of media and also, they are illiterate. Fig 3; found that most respondents think that mass media can play a significant role to stop child labor and rarely parents dont think so. Also, the media has arrived in the rural areas.  

According to Table 5, it is observed that maximum guardians are neutral that the role of the media in stopping child labor is satisfactory. Some parents are not satisfied with the current role of media. The study explored that maximum parents are slightly agree that the role of media in stopping child labor is satisfactory. It can be noticed that most parents watched the Bangladeshi movie channel. However, most social awareness programs are mainly broadcast on the government channels (Table 6). Fig 4 explored that maximum parents in Bangladesh dont know about the “Child labor Act” Bangladesh in our survey. They have no idea about this act. So child labor is rising every day.

The study was drawn the following findings that from both our preliminary result and the result from our model in achieving our objectives; Male children are mostly engaged in child labor than female children in our study. It is observed that most working childrens age lies between 12-17 years. It is explored that, most fathers doing small businesses such as they are hawkers; they have small shops. Some are farmers, daily workers and some are unoccupied. It is explored that the maximum number of fathers income is very poor. It is very difficult to meet their initial needs with this income. Study also found that big family, uneducated parents are also the reasons for child labor. It has been found that most of the poor parents in Bangladesh are not aware of the “child labor act” in Bangladesh. It is found that most parents are slightly agree that media plays a significant role to raise social awareness. 

Recommendation

• Awareness needs to be raised and parents should focus on educating their children. 

• Child Labor act should be strictly enforced.

• Whenever a child labor issue arises the media can provide coverage.

• Establish a dedicated media association for the boycott of child labor.

• Sensitize specific groups to the risks of child labor.

• Embolden the government to address the causes of child labor.

• Create greater public awareness to the risks of child labor.

• Encourage NGOs working in child labor to specific actions.

This project was supported by Comilla University, Bangladesh Research Grant for FY (2019-20), on ‘‘Impact of Mass Media to Creates Awareness among the Poor Parents against Child Labor” and provided to Md. Farhad Hossain.

The author declared no conflicts of interest concerning the present research work.