33. Bangladesh has re-enacted the Children Act in 2013, but it is yet to adopt the delegated legislation/ rules including the provisions related to juvenile justice. The Commission recommends that the government strengthen the enforcement of legislation on violence against children and bring perpetrators of such violence to justice. Child Labour 34. The Commission is concerned that despite remarkable progress made in eliminating child labour, still 1.70 million children are engaged as child labourers, of which 1.28 million children are engaged in the worst form of child labour (the Child Labour Survey 2013). Poverty and unemployment of the adult persons of a family have been identified as the main causes of child labour. Moreover, due to the dire impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, many children could be compelled to engage in child labour. Many of these children may be forced to engage in hazardous labour, which poses a serious threat to their health and safety. In order to eliminate all forms of child labour by 2025 – which is an SDG goal, the Commission, among others, emphasizes taking the following measures• Full implementation of the National Action Plan 2021-2025 immediately. The government is committed to eliminating all child labour by 2025 to implement the SDGs; • The list of hazardous child labour needs to be updated; • Institutional monitoring of child labourers engaged in informal sectors; • Implementing child-oriented safety nets for marginalized families; Child Marriage 35. The COVID-19 pandemic affected people’s earnings and pushed many into poverty. The closure of schools during the pandemic, isolation from friends and support networks, and the parents’ loss of income contribute to the rise of child marriage. A study by an international NGO, BRAC, found that child marriage increased by at least 13% during the COVID-19 pandemic.8 This is the highest rate of child marriage Bangladesh has witnessed in the last 25 years.9 UNICEF report finds that the economic insecurity during the postpandemic Bangladesh is also playing a pivotal role in the increase of child marriage because child marriage is being thought of as a way to relieve the financial burden on a family.10 36. Section 19 of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017, which provides for marriage on the grounds of ‘the special circumstance of the minor’, was incorporated despite strong objections from the Commission. Therefore, to ensure that section 19 is implemented most judiciously under the stringent legal procedure and the close supervision of a competent court, the Commission worked with the government to adopt Rule 17 of the Child Marriage Restraint Rules 2018. ‘Child Marriage up 13% during Covid-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh’ (Dhaka Tribune28 March 2021), available at<https://archive.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/law-rights/2021/03/28/child-marriage-up-13-during-covid-19pandemic-in-bangladesh>accessed 4 April 2023. 9 Ibid. 10 ‘10 Million Additional Girls at Risk of Child Marriage due to COVID-19 – UNICEF’ (www.unicef.org), available at<https://www.unicef.org/bangladesh/en/press-releases/10-million-additional-girls-risk-childmarriage-due-covid-19-unicef> accessed 3 April 2023. 8 10