Parties urged to care about children

Expressing its concern over the impact of the ongoing political unrest and violence against the children of Bangladesh, Save the Children urged all the political parties to give top priority to the protection of physical and mental health.
In a statement issued Tuesday, the organisation said children have been killed and injured following arson attacks on transports, crude bomb attacks and other kinds of violence.
From the beginning of this year until February 12, eleven children were killed and another 12 were injured due to hartal/ blockade-related violence. Children were also used in rallies and attacks on transport, the statement mentioned.
"Save the Children strongly feels that the key actors involved in the current crisis are not doing enough to avoid harming children.  Sadly, there seems to be indifference to the safety and wellbeing of children," it said.
It appealed to all parties to the current conflict to attach their top priority to the protection of the physical and psychological health and ensuring access to educational opportunities for the children of this great country.
Referring to a research Save the Children said children living in a climate of fear can change in a number of ways as a result of that exposure to violence. Persistent fear and the neuro-physiological adaptations to this fear can alter the development of the children's brain, resulting in changes in physiological, emotional, behavioural, cognitive and social functioning, the statement added.
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