State of child well-being remains much worse in city slums than that of non-slums and municipalities in other areas, undermining the government's efforts to achieve SDG 11 related to city, a latest official survey reveals.
The survey titled 'Child Well-being Survey in Urban Areas of Bangladesh' released on Tuesday also showed that overall stunting in urban areas is 26 per cent. But it is 60 per cent higher in slum areas than non-slums.
Stunting and underweight are three times as high in the poorest households as in the richest. Sylhet division has the highest rates of undernutrition among children under five.
The survey, first of its kind, was launched at a dissemination seminar on 'National Report of Child Wellbeing Survey in Urban Areas of Bangladesh 2016' held at Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) auditorium in the city. BBS prepared the report with support from UNICEF.
The survey revealed data on seven indicators after interviewing 19,632 women and 7,521 children of 18,887 households. The survey was conducted in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions and Barisal and Sylhet city corporations during the period between March and May in 2016.
Project director Ashraful Haque presented the key findings of the survey.
He said undernutrition in slums is double than it is in the non-slum areas. Only 38 per cent children aged 6-23 months consume minimum acceptable diet with 30 per cent in slums and 44 per cent in non-slum areas.
Low birth weight infants are highest 16 per cent in slums and 11 per cent in non-slums. Full immunization coverage is lowest 72 per cent in slums and 92 per cent in non-slums while adolescent birth rate is 30 per cent in slums and 10 per cent in non-slums.
Marriage of girls before 18 years who are now aged between 20-24 years is 42 per cent in slums. Khulna division has the highest rate of child marriage. Skilled attendant delivery is the lowest 56 per cent in slums and 73 per cent in non-slums.
Antenatal care received by slum dwelling mothers is the lowest.
Improved sanitation (non-shared) facilities are the lowest in Dhaka and highest in Barisal.
Overall child labour among the children aged between 5 and 17 years in urban areas is 13 per cent but it is 93 per cent higher among slum children.
But mothers living in slums are ahead in initial breastfeeding than those living in non-slum areas.
Overall enrolment of children aged 6-10 years in primary schools is 86 per cent but it is 69 per cent in slums areas. Only 46 per cent of slum children aged between 11 and 15 years attend secondary school while it is 63 per cent in overall urban areas.
Mr Ashraf said disparity within the urban area is high which need more focus.
UNICEF Bangladesh country representative Edouard Beigbeder who was present as a guest of honor said large disparities on child well-being exist between slum and non-slum areas within the city corporations themselves and municipalities in other areas.
But SDG goal 11 suggests making the cities better inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
"Urbanization has shaped infrastructural challenges and facility gaps including access to transport, housing, water, sanitation, solid waste management, and energy," he said.
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