Ensuring child rights underscored

GAIBANDHA, Feb 5 (BSS): Speakers at a function here on Wednesday underscored the need for ensuring the rights of the children and flourishing their merits to make them worthy citizens of the country.

"The future citizens must be protected from all sorts of evil deeds and inhuman situation like injustice and violence in the greater interests of their proper mental and physical growth", they said. The children should not be deprived of their fundamental rights like health, education, they said adding that the guardians should be aware of these.

They said the guardians should also be conscious about the bad effects of early marriage and that their daughters should not be given marriage before 18 years of age.

They made the comments at the concluding ceremony of 5-day long training for the facilitators for child development at the training room of SKS Foundation at Radhakrishnapur of Sadar upazila in the district. Department of Women Affairs arranged the training under Enabling Environment for Child Rights Project under Ministry of Women and Children Affairs funded by UNICEF, Bangladesh.

District women affairs officer Habiba Khatun addressed the function as the chief guest while Fhulchhari upazila social services officer Akram Hossain presided over the ceremony.

The ceremony was also addressed, among others, by trainers Golam Azam and M. Shohel Miah, district coordinator of UNICEF Bangladesh Shahriar Rahman Himel, project manager of SKS Foundation Beauty Begum and trainee Sarker M. Shahiduzzaman.