It is imperative to educate children about the dangers of sexual exploitation in a world where the digital space has given exploiters new avenues to lure victims, speakers at a roundtable have said.
They also stressed the need to refine and implement existing laws as well as coordinate between different ministries and government agencies in order to ensure that perpetrators were brought to justice.
The roundtable discussion on the sexual exploitation of children was arranged by Terre des Hommes (TDH) Netherlands and Dhaka Tribune on Wednesday morning. Rights activists from various organizations and senior media professionals were among the participants.
AFP Bangladesh Bureau Chief Shafiqul Alam Mehedi HasanAin o Salish Kendra (ASK) Program Coordinator (Child Rights Unit) Ambika Roy and INCIDIN Bangladesh Manager (Legal Policy and Support) Rafiqul Islam Khan Alom delivered presentations that served as a basis for the discussions that followed.
Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) Program Coordinator (Child Rights Unit) Ambika Roy Mehedi HasanAlom said incidents of sexual exploitation continued to be underreported in the country, stressing that parents and teachers not only needed to help with prevention but also with the rehabilitation of traumatized victims.
He urged that information about sexual exploitation be incorporated in the national curriculum to help children avoid becoming victims.
ATNNews Head of News Nurul Amin Prabhas Mehedi HasanAmbika Roy discussed the Building Back Better in times of Covid 19 project, which ASK is implementing alongside other NGOs to tackle the sexual exploitation of children. The project got underway in May 2020 and is scheduled to end on May 14, with around 20,000 youths in four districts having participated in the project.
The number of girls rescued from sexual exploitation significantly increased in the project areas after its implementation, but initiatives needed to be taken to ensure that the benefits of the project continued after it ended, she said.
World Vision Bangladesh Communication and Advocacy Director Tony Michael Gomes said a major problem in preventing sexual exploitation was the absence of a coordinating body between related agencies.
He noted that it was crucial to ensure that the outcomes of projects to tackle sexual exploitation were sustainable as aid was drying up fast.
Dhaka Tribune Executive Editor Reaz Ahmad Mehedi HasanTDH Bangladesh Country Director Mahmudul Kabir termed the sexual exploitation of children a dark mark amid the development of the country.
He said he had long been urging that the outcomes of projects be made more sustainable and not limited only to the implementing period.
Pranab Saha, editor of DBC, said establishing a Child Directorate was a necessity in order to have all responsible institutions, agencies, and departments coordinate in sexual exploitation prevention.
TBS Content Editor Mohammad Anwar Sadi Mehedi HasanSave the Children International Director (Child Protection and Child Rights Governance) Abdulla Al Mamun said the commercial sector was one of the major sectors where children were sexually exploited and known incidents of exploitation were just the tip of the iceberg.
He also spoke of the danger of sexual exploitation through online platforms.
“Only TikTok and related crimes can be discussed for hours,” he said.
Besides, the age of sexual consent and marriage needed to be defined more accurately, he opined.
Reaz Ahmad, executive editor of Dhaka Tribune, moderated the discussion.
INCIDIN Bangladesh Manager (Legal and Policy Support) Md. Rafiqul Islam Khan Alom Mehedi Hasan ASK Executive Director Golam Monowar Kamal, Gender Justice and Diversity Program Manager Mahbub Alam, and many other senior media professionals attended the program.
Suggestions from senior media professionals
Desh Rupantor Executive Editor Mustafa Mamun said parents needed to be made aware so that they could identify if their children were suffering after being subjected to sexual exploitation.
AFP Bangladesh Bureau Chief Shafiqul Alam suggested more research on sexual exploitation of male children studying in madrassas and more initiatives to prevent child marriage.
ATNNews Head of News Nurul Amin Prabhas said the notion that only female children were sexually exploited needed to be removed.
Daily Desh Rupantor Executive Editor Mustafa Mamun Mehedi HasanThe Business Standard Content Editor Anwar Sadi said teachers’ role required to be recognized, and they needed to be friends to students and teach them about sexual exploitation from an early age.
Fuad Ahmed Chaudhury, CEO of Deepto TV, said information on sexual exploitation should be incorporated into the curriculum at the primary school level.
Mostafa Kamal, news editor of Bangla Vision, suggested researching the environmental factors behind the heinous crime.
