Speakers at a views-exchange meeting on Monday urged the government to take steps for making adequate allocation in the next budget for the children in order to protect their rights.
Although there is gender budget for women, there is no specific children budget, they said underscoring the need for establishing a framework to understand the total allocation for children in the budget.
The development studies department of Dhaka University, CSID and Save the Children jointly organised the programme at Shishu Kalyan Parishad on Topkhana Road in the capital.
Deputy director of Save the Children Shamsul Alam Bakul, CSID executive director Khandakar Jahurul Alam, DU development studies department teacher Omar Faruque, among others, addressed the programme.
A total of 30 journalists from print and electronic media attended the programme.
Revealing that children, aged below 18, account for 45 per cent of the country’s total population, the speakers said the country’s future depends on turning them into human resources and their proper growth.
They also described massive poverty and deprivation among the children as major obstacles to realising the desired goal.
The authorities should take steps to protect the rights of the children as per the Child Rights Convention and the National Children Policy, they said calling for taking up a child-friendly initiative for employment of poor children of city, town and pourashava areas.
The government enacted the National Children Policy 2011 and formulated the Draft Children Act 2012. It is necessary to know how much money is needed for the proper implementation of the Policy and the Act.
-With New Age input
