Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina | Child Rights PM wants to work with international community to ensure child rights
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, Sept 20: Describing children as the wealth of the future, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated her commitment to work with the international community to ensure the protection of children in Bangladesh as well as establish their rights.
She said, "I would like to reiterate my government's firm commitment to work with national and international development partners and United Nations agencies to ensure the rights and protection of every child in our country."
The Prime Minister, who is in New York on an official visit to attend the United Nations General Session, said this in a video message broadcast at the National Symposium titled 'Child Protection for Every Child: Best Practices in Child Protection in Bangladesh'. The European Union and UNICEF organized a national symposium at a hotel in the city.
Prime Minister's daughter and Chairperson of Bangladesh National Committee on Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Saima Wazed presented the keynote address at the event.
Sheikh Hasina said that the current government has taken various programmes to improve the condition of these children to make them worthy citizens with the help of UNICEF and other development partners.
She said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took some unique initiatives for the overall development of children during the short tenure of her government.
Sheikh Hasina said that her government believes that today's children are the future wealth of the country. So to make them worthy citizens we need to fulfill basic rights like education, nutrition, medical care, protection, participation, recreation, safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
The Prime Minister noted that almost half of Bangladesh's population is under the age of 18 who are considered children and more than 20 million of them are under the age of 5.
Mentioning that the constitution made by Bangabandhu has several clauses to protect the rights of children, she said that several clauses of the constitution of the country including Articles 14, 15, 17, 18, 28, 29, 34, and 35 are protective. It enshrines fundamental rights to life, liberty, equality under the law, protection of the law, freedom from torture, and prohibition of forced labour.
She mentioned that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman enacted the Children's Act, 1974 for the protection and safe keeping of the children of Bangladesh.
