Seven-year-old Mim Akhter collects shrimp fry with her fishing net in the strong current of the Baleshwar river in Bagerhat's Sharankhola upazila almost every day.

She does it in the rain or scorching sun either before or after school to earn up to Tk 50 a day. Her parents barely make enough money to feed the family of four.

"I usually buy pen, paper, and sometimes snacks with the money," the second grader said.

Her mother Nargis Begum thinks she cannot swim well and is aware of the risks of drowning. “But considering our financial situation, I cannot strongly ask her not to go to the river.”

Besides, there are also the risks of being bitten by snakes and crocodiles, she said. 

The little girl, however, is not afraid.

"I used to be a little scared when I started it a few months ago. But now I feel okay," she said with a big smile.

Local traders buy each fry for Tk 1 from children like her.

Like Mim, many children can be seen collecting shrimp fries from the rivers in the country's coastal region between January and August.

Sharankhola Upazila Chairman Kamal Uddin said there were about 2,000 to 3,000 fishing families in the upazila. He added that children of most of the families were involved in shrimp fry collection.

Villagers blamed poverty for being the main reason why children were forced to take risks for a little sum.

Mim's father, a fisherman, for example, earns only about Tk 8,000 a month, which, according to her mother, is not enough to run the family.

“If we had the means, we wouldn't take the risk of letting our daughter do this,” Nargis said as she separated shrimp fries from other fries caught by Mim.

Locals told this correspondent during a recent visit to the area that incidents of children being drowned or bitten by crocodiles in the river was not uncommon.

Mohammad Israfil, an eight-year-old boy, had almost drowned while he was collecting shrimp fries in the river in March this year. He was saved by his aunt who luckily was around.

“It was a narrow escape for Israfil. If I wasn't there that day, he might have drowned,” Israfil's aunt Rizia Begum said.

But the incident did not stop him going to the river to catch shrimp fries.

Badol Hawladar, a local, said, “We know the dangers... But when the stomach is empty, fear doesn't matter.”

Abdus Shahid Mahmood, director of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, said engaging children in such risky works were prohibited in the labour law.

Stating that children catching fry in the river is a violation of law, he said the situation was similar in Patuakhali, Bhola and Cox's Bazar.

He suggested providing the parents with financial support and giving them skill development training for creating additional income sources. He also suggested raising awareness among locals on the issue and carrying out strict monitoring by local administration in the coastal areas.

Contacted, Sharankhola Upazila Nirbahi Officer Lincoln Biswas said he was not aware of the situation, but said he would take necessary steps.