Establish rights of underprivileged children: Speakers

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RAJSHAHI, Dec 4 (BSS): Speakers at a discussion here Thursday underscored the need for forging a social movement to establish the rights of children, especially the underprivileged ones, for building sound and healthy generations.
In this context, they called for keeping the children away from all sorts of unusual and inhuman situations like poverty, disease, injustice and violence to help them bloom up their creativity side by side with proper mental and physical growth.
The speakers called today's children tomorrow's leaders and stressed the need for concerted efforts to protect them from all sorts of destructive activities including crimes.
The day-long discussion in connection with the "Children's Drama Festival- 2008" was held at the Zila Parishad auditorium. Barendra Unnayan Prochesta (BUP) under a joint collaboration with International Theatre Institute (ITI), Rupanter and Swedish SIDA arranged the festival.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (education and development) Satyendra Kumar Sarker, Chairman of Music and Dramatics Department of the Rajshahi University Dr Krishnapada Mondal, Chief Executive of Rupanter Shwapan Guha, President of Rajshahi Union of Journalists Akbarul Hassan Millat and Social Worker Jamat Khan addressed the inaugural session.
BUP President Kaneez Akhter Banu presided over the inaugural session while its director Foyezullah Chowdhury elaborated the objectives of the festival.
Referring to various forms of repression and cruelty on children, the speakers said parents as well as others in families must behave properly with the children and ensure a friendly atmosphere for them.
The said importance should be given on bringing the derailed children back to the mainstream to reduce the problem of juvenile crimes in society. Mass awareness along with community policing at the grassroots could also be very effective in this regard, they said.
Around 500 children including aboriginal from different parts of the district attended the festival. Five school teams and five other disadvantaged children drama teams presented their respective children dramas on the occasion.