Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government is determined to ensure a safe future for all children.
The prime minister made the statement while distributing prizes among the winners of chess, drawing and cultural competitions organised by Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad marking the 50th birth anniversary of Sheikh Russell.
She said: "Killing of a child like Russell at point blank range is a very tragic aspect of the August 15 carnage. We don't want the death of any child in this manner."
"We want to give them a safe future and build up each of them as worthy citizens of the country to enable them to lead the country in all spheres," Hasina added.
The prime minister said: "You have to always keep in mind that you are the citizens of a victorious nation. A victorious nation can never bow its head to anybody except the Almighty."
"Russell is much younger than me. I had taken care of him in his early age. I don't want to see a similar fate in the life of any child," she added.
"Russell was always deprived of fatherly affection since his birth as Bangabandhu was mostly busy with politics or was in different jails for years. Russell visited the prisons in his very tender age with us, my mother and relatives to see his father, and he could clearly realise that he was deprived of his father's affection," Sheikh Hasina said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government is distributing free text books to lessen the burden of the parents of poor families. Students are given scholarship and steps are being taken to help students get easy access to education.
She said steps were taken for inter-school sports and cultural competition. "Students should be devoted to study, sports, culture and history. They have to know the real history of the nation," she said.
She urged the children to know the country's history and how the Pakistani forces had suppressed us for 24 years and how the country achieved liberation through a long struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu.
The prime minister said: “Every person of Bangladesh would live with full rights and particularly the rights of every children should be safeguarded. The government has taken special measures for children with disabilities.”
Sheikh Hasina said children are the future of the country. So children have to acquire knowledge to run the country efficiently in the future and take forward the nation towards prosperity. "We want to build up the children in this way," she added.
Praising the role of Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad in reorganising the pro-liberation people during the military regime, the Prime Minister said at that time politics was banned and leaders and workers conducted their activities under the banner of the Parishad.
Sheikh Hasina said, it was unfortunate that our children for a long time could not know the country's real history inside the country. They had to go abroad to know the history.
"But now the spirit of the war of liberation is now implanted in the hearts of the new generation. None would be able to misguide them in the future," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Ministers reminded the children about the remarks of Bnagabandhu that Bangladesh, our motherland, needs golden sons to build a golden nation. "You are the golden sons of the soil," she said urging them to devote themselves in studies, obey their guardians, teachers and extend helping hands to the poor.
"Never neglect the blinds, physically disabled and helpless people. See them as a human being. And in this way we would be able to bring forward our country," she said.