RAJSHAHI, March 13, 2019 (BSS)- Responsive and sensible social and
political initiatives are crucial means for protecting rights of children
particularly the slum-dwelling and underprivileged ones towards transforming
them into worthy citizens.
Protecting the children from all sorts of violation, repression and
deprivation is needed for building a healthy and knowledge-based future
generation.
The views were expressed at a roundtable meeting titled “Child Rights and
Protection”. Leaders of influence and development activists in the function
called for ensuring a friendly atmosphere for the disadvantaged children
terming those as an asset of the nation.
Caritas Rajshahi hosted the meeting at its conference hall yesterday giving
an overview of its three-year project styled ‘Livelihood Improvement through
Formation and Education’ which is being implemented in some slum areas in
Rajshahi city.
The meeting was told that the project intends to protect and improve life
of more than 800 rootless and slum dwelling children through providing them
with diversified services like education, health and counseling.
Sukleaus George Costa, Regional Director of Caritas Rajshahi, who chaired
and moderated the participatory discussion, said: “Our effort is not
sufficient but more other works need to be done for improving and developing
life of the underprivileged children”.
He said advocacy lobbying among slum dwellers is very effective for
enhancing networking skills and welfare of the underprivileged children.
District Primary Education Officer Abdus Salam and Religious leader Father
William Mormu addressed the meeting as chief and special guests respectively
while Instructor of Primary Teachers Institute Ahmed Rafi Raihan presented a
keynote paper on the issue.
Professor Shirin Akter from Teachers Training College and its retired
Principal Prof Abdus Samad Mondal, Editor of Daily Sonar Desh Akbarul Hassan
Millat, religious leader Father Paul Gomes and Advocate Shamina Begum spoke
on the occasion as panel discussants.