A densely populated country in South Asia, Bangladesh has made significant progress in various fields over the years. However, one important issue that continues to challenge the nation's development is the welfare and protection of its children. Like many countries in South Asia, Bangladesh also has child labour. At the age when a child is going to school, and playing sports with peers, poor children have to work for a living.
The first and foremost reason for child labour in Bangladesh is economic distress. For poor families, it is not possible for the parents to cover the cost of their child's education by settling the maintenance. As a result, parents lose motivation to send them to school. In this situation, parents think that the family will benefit if the child earns income by engaging in any profession. Employers are also encouraged to employ children as they can be employed for long hours with little pay. The Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 defines children and adolescents as the minimum age of 14 years and the minimum age of adolescents as 14-1 8 years.
Apart from this, the number of street children is increasing in Bangladesh. These children often live in extreme poverty, facing enormous challenges such as lack of shelter, food and education. Public and private organizations must collaborate to provide the necessary services and rehabilitation programs to reintegrate these vulnerable children into society. As we see through Unicef, they are helping the children in many ways, they are giving everything from food to treatment. Street children are millions of deprived boys. -expresses the concern of girls who have adopted the street as their home. They grow up where tranquillity and physical and emotional stability are often threatened. The aim is to give a compassionate look at the lives of street children to identify their health-related needs.
A cross-sectional descriptive type study was conducted among 1 25 street children aged 8 to 14 years found at different intercept points in Dhaka city, Bangladesh. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Attempts were made to relate their lifestyle, risk behaviours and health effects to socio-demographic characteristics.
According to street children, poverty (41 %) is the main reason behind forcing children to live and work on the streets. They spend their leisure time playing games and watching videos or movies but on the other side of the coin, they are often physically or sexually abused (80.8%). Regarding health, about 87.2% of street children suffer from various types of diseases such as accidental injuries, skin infections, hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases and heat infections.
A careful examination of the lives of these children will provide a clear understanding of their adverse lives. A better diagnosis of contributing factors helps reduce the magnitude of the problem and develop innovative approaches and ensure a healthy lifestyle, protection and rehabilitation for those children.
Children with disabilities in Bangladesh face many challenges, including discrimination, limited access to healthcare and educational barriers. The government should prioritize inclusive education, health care and vocational training programs to empower these children and ensure their full participation in society.
In addition, the alarming rate of violence and torture against children continues in Bangladesh. Physical, sexual and psychological abuse is a serious concern. Child marriage and child trafficking are also common issues. Over the past 20 years, we have succeeded in raising awareness about the effects of violence. We've helped secure violence prevention as a global priority – starting with the World Report on Violence and Health. and helped establish UN Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 to end all forms of violence against children.
Now our strategy is shifting from public awareness to public action. We believe that violence against children should not be tolerated when it can be proactively addressed.
Following an evidence-based and scientific approach, we publish practical guidelines for international and national partners, government ministries and private practitioners. For example, in 2016 in collaboration with key partners, we launched: INSPIRE: Seven Strategies to End Violence Against Children. Analysis shows that well-designed, local INSPIRE programs reduce violence by 20-50%. Yet, violence against children – and its devastating consequences – remains a major health and social problem. Every five minutes a child dies as a result of violence. Global estimates indicate that one billion children - more than half of all children aged 2-17 - have experienced physical, sexual or psychological violence in the last 12 months alone. And 3 out of 4 children aged 2-4 are repeatedly subjected to physical punishment or emotional violence at the hands of parents or caregivers. These staggering statistics can be significantly reduced through targeted action.
For government officials and practitioners, WHO is at the forefront of meaningful action, a globally respected source of the practice. We respond to demand and drive action by connecting with expert partners and demonstrating what works. Year after year, we build national capacity to address the issue, monitor progress and foster global advocacy.
Bangladesh has made commendable efforts to address child protection issues, such as setting up child helplines, shelters for abused children and awareness programs to ensure their safety. However, more resources and a concerted effort are needed to scale up these initiatives and ensure the safety and well-being of every child.
So at the end of the day, the protection of children in Bangladesh is a multi-faceted challenge that requires the combined efforts of the government, civil society and the international community. Although progress has been made in some areas, much work remains to be done to ensure that every child in Bangladesh enjoys their basic rights and is protected from exploitation, abuse and neglect. It is imperative that stakeholders work together to create a safe and bright future for Bangladesh's children, who are the country's most valuable asset.
The Child Health Research Foundation (CHRF) in Bangladesh works to prevent infections and save lives. CHRF generates evidence on what causes diseases and advocates for evidence-based policy decisions. Their advocacy based on data generated from their surveillance has facilitated the introduction of two life-saving vaccines into the national expanded program on immunization in Bangladesh. At CHRF, they strive to find the cause behind every infection even those that they are currently working towards creating and Atlas of common pathogens in Bangladesh and designing new diagnostics. The Impact they have had In saving lives in Bangladesh has received many national and international accolades such as from the WHO, Unesco, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, American Society of Microbiology and the Government of Bangladesh’s second highest civilian award. The CHRF is also working for all class children’s health and working to develop their situation.
Though there are constitutions for the protection of human life and there are several laws on child life, poverty has made all of these laws inactive. People are violating the rules and laws regarding the child's life openly but nothing can be done because of poverty and so on. Unicef and governments from all the countries have been taking measures and doing work for children from around the globe. The situation of the Children from Bangladesh is also improving day by day. Hope, all of the children will be taken into account.
Abrar Taseen is a student of Faizur Rahman Ideal Institute, Umme Samiha Monisha of Motijheel Government Girls High School, and Md Rifat Hossain Shaon is from Motijheel Model School and College