Dhaka : The Bangladeshi government on Monday approved the draft of a law banning child labour in the country with provisions for stringent punishment to offenders.

The draft was approved at a cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, Xinhua quoted Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam as saying.

The proposed “Bangladesh Labour (Amendment) Act” stipulates that anybody who engages child labour will be fined about $60.

In line with the draft, children aged 14-18 will only be allowed to do light work. The country’s existing labour law allows the minimum age for light work at 12.

The move comes as the phenomenon of child labour in Bangladesh is on the rise in various informal sectors, including small factories and workshops, on the street, in home-based businesses and domestic employment.

According to the International Labour Organisation definition, there are about 3.2 million child labourers in Bangladesh.

—IANS