Speakers at a function here yesterday stressed the need for ensuring the rights of the children and friendly atmosphere at all levels including academic institutions and the residence, reports BSS. “As the children are the future of the nation, they should be protected from all sorts of evil deeds and unusual and inhuman situation like injustice and violence”, they said. They made the comments while addressing an advocacy meeting on the establishment of children rights at union level held at the hall room of Fazlupur union parishad under Fulchhari upazila on Saturday. Fazlupur union parishad organised the meeting under Local Capacity Building and Community Empowerment programme (LCBCE) funded by UNICEF- Bangladesh and implemented by district administration.
Deputy Director (DD) of local government section of district collectorate building and deputy secretary M. Mokhlesur Rahman addressed the meeting as the chief guest and upazila social services officer M. Akram Hossain was present as the special guest. With union parishad chairman M. Joynul Abedin Jalal in the chair, the function was also addressed, among others, by district facilitator of LGSP-2 Arun Darshi Chakma, LCBCE officer M. Khalilur Rahman, assistant upazila primary education officer M. Mosarrof Hossain, head teacher Idris Ali, community health care provider Anju Monowara Rikta and journalist Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman. The speakers underscored the need for fostering the children properly in a bid to ensure their mental and physical growth and flourish their merits to make themselves worthy citizens of the country to lead it towards development. “Children should not be deprived of their fundamental rights like health”, they said adding that the guardians should be aware about the bad effects of early marriage before 18 year age of their daughters. They also put emphasis on providing health care and nutritious food for the pregnant mothers to reduce the mother and the child mortality rate in the society to achieve the millennium development goal (MDG) of the government. DD Mokhlesur Rahman urged the hard to reach char dwellers to send their kids to primary schools to complete the primary education successfully and later take pragmatic measures to continue their studies to change their lots and build an enlightened nation as well. Many recommendations and suggestions were also adopted during the open discussion session to run the programme in the char union smoothly and to make it grand success as well. A good number of people including union level officials, public representatives, social workers, NGO activists, freedom fighters, teachers, students, health workers, and journalists took part in the meeting.