The trend of using children in violent political programmes, like other hazardous jobs, is increasing alarmingly in the Sylhet city in violation of human and child rights charter.
\nArticle 6.7.4 of the National Children Policy 2011 stipulates that \u2018The children cannot be used in the political activity, neither they could be lured and compelled to be involved in such activity.\u2019
\nTalking to New Age, a good number of city dwellers said the political leaders were using children of different slums of the city in their programmes.
\nSources in political parties said the leaders use street children to do picketing in their respective areas during general strikes in the city.
\nThese children are also being used by local political leaders in violent activities such as setting fire to spent tyres on the streets, vandalising business establishments and vehicles and deflating the rickshaw tyres during political programmes, they said.
\n\u2018These children, who are used in political activities, are offered Tk 30 to Tk 50 for conducting violent activities,\u2019 an activist of a mainstream political party told New Age, preferring anonymity.
\nHe also said the children often become victims of violence taking place now-a-days in political programmes.
\n\u2018It is becoming a common scenario during general strikes enforced by different political parties in the country that street children are being used in picketing,\u2019 college teacher Rokanuzzaman commented.
\nRights activist Shahin Ahmed said a party having a minimum sense of ethics cannot use children in the political activities.
\nDuring the half-day shutdown enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Sylhet on Monday, it was seen that a group of children under a banner of \u2018Jatiyatabadi Shishu Dal\u2019 brought a procession from the city\u2019s Pathantula area in favour of the shutdown.
\n\u2018We know that there is no such front organisation of children of any political party in the country,\u2019 Shafiq Ahmed, a businessman of Pathantula said, adding that the children had been used by some politicians.
\nThe children, who participated in the procession, were not able to plan the programme or prepare a colourful banner, so somebody must have done it for them, he said.
\nThe Sylhet district BNP president, Dildar Hossain Selim, however, expressed his unawareness of such incident.
\n\u2018We never courage any children to participate in political activities and personally I am strictly against such inhuman act like using children for personal gains,\u2019 he added.<\/p>\n

-With New Age<\/span> input<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The trend of using children in violent political programmes, like other hazardous jobs, is increasing alarmingly in the Sylhet city in violation of human and child rights charter. Article 6.7.4 of the National Children Policy 2011 stipulates that \u2018The children cannot be used in the political activity, neither they could be lured and compelled to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[216,10423,10421,10422],"yoast_head":"\n