Do Child Labourers Come from the Poorest?

This paper explores whether child labourers come from, not only the poor, but also the poorest households in Bangladesh or not. The paper also tries to explain what determines the participation of children in labour force. A comparison has also been made between macro statistics and micro survey in this respect. Data used in this paper are obtained from the National Child Labour Survey 2002-03 as well as the 64-village census plus survey 2005 conducted under the Programme for Research on Chronic Poverty in Bangladesh (Phase II). A comparison between the National Child Labour Survey 1995-96 and 2002-03 has also been provided to analyze the nature and extent of changes in child labour over time. [PRCPB Working Paper No. 11] URL: [http://www.chronicpoverty.org/uploads/publication_files/PRCPB_WP_11.pdf]