This was demonstrated at a painting competition yesterday for the children engaged in worst form of child labour in urban informal sector.

The children showed their creativity through painting works and walked off with prizes.

Held at the National Press Club, the painting competition on 'Worst form of child labour' was organised by the Prevention and Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, a project of the International Labour Organisation (ILO)-the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC).

About 50 working children, selected from 3,000 students of Multi-Purpose Centres under the project, took part in the competition. The selection was made through a competitive process.

The contestants were divided into two groups. Children aged between 8 and 12 were placed in 'Group A' while children aged between 12 and 15 in 'Group B'.

Three contestants from each group were awarded first, second and third prizes and the rest received special prizes.

The Group A first prize winner did a painting of a boy working at a mechanical workshop while the Group B first prize winner depicted the plight of a child at a battery factory.

Artists Kanak Chanpa Chakma and Khaled Mahmud Mithu were the judges of the competition.

A cultural function was also held where the children performed song and dance and staged drama.

Ronald Berghuys, chief technical advisor to the project, Mahbubul Haq, deputy director (programme) of UCEP, Asaduzzaman, director (programme) of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, and Sharfuddin Khan, coordinator, Advocacy and Awareness Raising of ILO-IPEC, attended the function.