A group of children, human and political right activists at a dialogue
on Saturday urged all political parties to refrain from using children
for political purposes and ensure that children are protected from all
possible violence.
Mobilisation for Alternative Programme (MAP) and Action for Behavioral
Change Foundation (ABCF) jointly organized the programme at the ABCF
auditorium.
It was conducted by Shuvangkar Chakraborty, executive director MAP and
welcome addressed by Naqib Abdus Salam, executive director ABCF.
Among others Advocate Talukdar Md. Yunus, AL lawmaker and district AL
secretary, Advocate Mojibor Rahman Nantu, Advocate Mohsin Mantu, city
and district BNP organizing committee members, Principal Mohsinul
Islam Habul, district Jatiya Party president, Advocate Abdul Hye
Mahbub, district Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal secretary, Advocate Hiron
Kumar Das Mithu, district Gano Forum president, A K Azad , district
Communist Party Bangladesh president, Dr. Syed Habibur Rahman, human
rights activist, Jiban Krishna Dey, child rights activist, Anowar
Zahid, Ranjit Datta, development organization activist, Munwarul
Islam Oli, citizen rights activist participated in the dialogue.
The right activists said according to the UN Convention on the Rights
of Child (UNCRC), the National Child Policy 2010 and the Draft Child
Act 2012 all are children till the age of 18.
Bangladesh is a signatory of UNCRC, which states that children have to
be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or
abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation,
they said.
There is also clear provision in the paragraph 6.7.4 of country’s
National Children’s Policy 2011 that ‘children cannot be used, neither
could they be lured nor compelled to be involved in political
activities, child right activists noticed.
It is becoming a common scenario during general strikes enforced by
different political parties in the country that slum and street
children are being used in picketing and violent activities such as
setting fire to spent tyres on the streets, vandalising business
establishments and vehicles and deflating the rickshaw tyres during
general strikes in the city, political right activists said.
A party having a minimum sense of ethics cannot use children in the
political activities as participation of the children in political
demonstrations may put them at risk of physical and mental violence
and injury and trauma, told the human rights activists.
Leader of political parties acknowledged that many parties using
children of streets, different slums of the city in their programmes.
The leaders of political parties agreed to prevent use and
participation of children for political gains and ensure that children
should be protected from all possible violence.
They also requested print and electronic media not to publish such
videos and pictures that could traumatize people, especially children.
– Our Correspiondent
