Collaborative research project on injury risks and abuse of children in occupational settings in Bangladesh Forskningssamarbete om skador och övergrepp mot barn i arbete i Bangladesh The current proposal aims at investigating the extent and characteristics of the mental and physical violence, injury or abuse, neglect or ill-treatment of children aged 5-17 years in their work places in Bangladesh. This project is part of broader research goals of a collaborative initiative between Karlstad University, Sweden and three renowned Bangladeshi research organizations (i.e. Centre for Injury Prevention Bangladesh, CIPR,B; Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, BSMMU; Institute of Child and Mother Health, ICMH). The collaborative initiative was established in June 2011 in order to meet two broader goals - development of interactive, international and interdisciplinary collaborative research, and supporting and building capacity for the local institutions in Bangladesh to fight injury, violence and ill-treatment of children, as well as poverty. With growing concern of the child rights and child protection from hazardous work situations in low income countries, UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC) articulated child protection from any forms of violence, injury and abuse. CRC also addressed the child rights to seek social, mental, moral development and protection from economic exploitation and hazardous work situations. Also, data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), UNICEF and local sources indicates the severity of the problem where children are more vulnerable to be treated violently at their workplace. Accidental injuries are also common among the working children. By using existing data from a routinely collected system in three rural and one urban setting and conducting qualitative interview and group discussions, the current research project may provide a clear picture of the level and characteristics of the injury problems among the child laborers. This project may foster a method that can later be implemented for policy development and for poverty reduction. The joint research activities will enhance opportunity to work together between the two countries and can help to develop effective sustainable collaboration, which furthermore can add national and international benefits. By combining qualitative methods with existing surveillance data, the project aims to investigate the magnitude and characteristics of child injury aged 5-17 years in occupational sectors in Bangladesh. The joint research project will be started in 2012 and conducted by the partners. By desire to promote and facilitate cooperative exchange of ideas and knowledge, an initiative was initiated in 2010 between Karlstad University, Sweden and three well renowned Bangladeshi institutions. Researchers of both the countries will get the opportunities to share knowledge and skills and the data through this research program will be utilized for joint publications and exchange program for students of both countries who thereby will get opportunities to be enrolled in the doctoral program and the data will be used for preparing their thesis. The results of the project may help policy makers, business organizations and NGOs to understand and deal with the changing dynamics of the problem. Child labour and protection are very sensitive issues that goes beyond the social norms, where economic gain and survival are the key. To fight against child labour and to identify the severity of the problem in terms of injury in the working sectors in low income countries, the international community has to act together. Through the current project, the partners may have chance to contribute to development of data and knowledge in the national Bangladeshi context, using a variety of methodologies.