Speakers at a workshop yesterday urged the government to take up the Saving of Lives from Drowning (SoLiD) project to reduce the rate of child death from drowning, which is a leading cause of child death in Bangladesh.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki lauded the project, and asked project officials to identify more vulnerable areas where the rate of child drowning is high.
“This is a brilliant project. We agree that child drowning should be eradicated from Bangladesh. We can take necessary steps once the most vulnerable areas are identified,” she said.
The workshop on child drowning prevention efforts was organised by Ciprb (Centre for Injury Prevention, Health Development and Research, Bangladesh) and icddr,b with support from Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit and Bloomberg Philanthropies at a hotel in the capital.
Chumki said a holistic approach was needed to reduce child death from drowning in the country.
Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman of Pprc (Power and Participation Research Centre), said child drowning is an issue that needs action to be addressed.
“It is not only a pure awareness issue. It is an issue that demands active intervention. Also, the participation of communities is essential,” he said.
Zillur, also a former adviser to caretaker government, said the government should take up the SoLiD project and can set an example to the world that Bangladesh can lead in decreasing the rate of child deaths from drowning.
Dr Adnan Hyder, director of John Hopkins International Injury Research Unit, said education or awareness alone would not reduce child drowning deaths as it requires other interventions.
He said the government should lead the SoLiD project because the role of the project to reduce drowning deaths is crucial.