Call to establish child friendly upazilas

Civic forums at a consultation meeting on Tuesday called for ensuring child friendly atmosphere in all upazilas of the country for eliminate child labour.

They said if proper steps are taken for ensuring child-friendly environment at any upazila, it would encourage other upazilas to become child friendly.

The civil society activists made the remarks at a multi-stakeholder consultations on implementation of National Plan of Action to Eliminate Child Labour and formulate Child Friendly Upazila at the YWCA auditorium at Mohammdpur in the capital, said a press release.

INCIDIN Bangladesh organised the event with the support of Global March against Child Labour.

Experts at the programme called for activating upazila level Children Welfare Board and providing different supports to the children of the underprivileged families. Coordinated approach involving all concerned is also important for addressing the issue, they added. 

Advocate Salma Ali, Co-chair, National Child Labour Monitoring Committee, attended the function as the chief guest while Dr Mostafizur Rahman, Joint Inspector General of Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments as a special guest.      

Moderated by AKM Masud Ali, Executive Director of INCIDIN Bangladesh, Advocate Md Rafiqual Islam Khan, Manager (Programme) of INCIDIN Bangladesh, Abdus Shahid Mahmood, Director of Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum, Lima Ferdous, President, SWWN, ZM Kamrul Anam, General Secretary of Bangladesh Labour Foundation spoke at the event, among others.