My PhD is an ethnographic study, conducted in a slum area in Dhaka, Bangladesh. I aim to generate accounts of working children’s lives from their perspectives and an understanding of the web of relations that shapes their lives. My study explores children’s understanding of terms such as ‘freedom’ and ‘decent work,’ terms which frame child labour policy. My project is nested in an FCDO-funded research programme, Child Labour Action Research Innovation in South and South East Asia (clarissa.global) which seeks to reduce the most exploitative forms of child labour. I work closely with consortium partners in the UK and Bangladesh.