Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah has urged all to create awareness among people from urban to rural areas to ensure child security.
“We won't be able save our children from repression if we cannot create awareness at grassroots. We need to reach the root level,” the deputy speaker told media at a seminar titled ‘Present Situation of Child Rights and Responsibilities’.
Child Rights Advocacy Coalition in Bangladesh and Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights jointly arranged the seminar at IPD conference hall in National Parliament on Thursday.
The deputy speaker said: “I am urging the Caucus president to sit with the finance minister to know how much money is spent on children’s welfare.”
He said: “Bangabandhu had enacted the Children Act in 1974. After killing of Bangabandhu, no one thinks about children except Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”
Social and human degradation is very deep in Bangladesh and needs revival to solve the problem, he said.
He also said that no other governments did a single activity for the welfare of children while Sheikh Hasina’s government has given great importance to child rights and their protection. "As she (Sheikh Hasina) has a soft corner for women and children, she has increased the maternal leave."
Mentioning that child trafficking has been decreased in recent years, the deputy speaker said that day-care centers should be opened in urban and rural areas for working mothers.
He asked the president of Caucus and its members to raise the issue of Child Security Act so that the concerned ministry can take initiative to amendment the existing laws for the sake of children.
He said: “Bringing amendments are very important to save children. From this seminar, I am urging the prime minister to consider the issues and pass a law for children's security.”
Shamsul Haque Tuku, president of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights was in the chair, while vice-president of the parliamentary group Aroma Datta and members--Aslam Hossain Saudagar, Shameem Waseqa Ayesha Khan--and representatives of the group spoke on the occasion.
Tuku said: “There are no options for us, but to perform our duties.”
"We can reduce oppression against children if we can find out the foes of children," he said.
He also proposed to observe the Mujib Year as Child Security Year.
Aroma Dutta, vice president of the parliamentary group, said that it is possible to solve the problems if all concerned start work with a positive action plan.
She said: “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina loves children very much. She will do everything needed to save children from oppression.
"There are many laws, but we need to find out the loopholes to reform it," she added.
Rasheda Akter, manager (Civil Society and Policy Advocacy) at Save the Children in Bangladesh, who presented the keynote papers, said that 3653 children were tortured from January to August this year.
During the period, 697 children were raped, while 104 experienced attempted rape, 161 sexual torture and 285 were killed.
She said that children from seven to eighteen years have been affected in most of the cases.
There were 5,000 rape cases filed with five Women Oppression Protection Tribunals in Dhaka in 15 years (2002-2016). Among them only three percent culprits were punished.
