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Introduction
Children of Bangladesh are major segment of the total population.
But there is no voice of children in case of an assortment of
decisions, plans and actions. There is also no organization of
children except Dhaka in the whole country. Children have the rights
to take their decisions in the matters associated with them. But
there is no scope of it. More over Children are the foremost victim
of different discrimination particularly children of poor family.
The deprivation of different fundamental rights prevents children
from realizing their full potential later in life. With limited
capacity to participate as equals in civil society, they are ill
equipped as adults to defend their rights and to secure these rights
for their own children.
So a better eye view is essential to do something for the children
of southwestern region of our country. JJS has taken the effort to
pull out the children from this situation. On support of this JJS
build five children clubs in Rupsha and Koyra Upazila of Khulna and
later a forum named ‘Children Forum on Environment and Child Rights’
agglomerating these five children clubs. It aims to reflect the
children's voice in the society and participation in the plans and
programs of family, society and in the country. JJS helps the forum
to make its organizational structure more strong and effective.
Composition of Children Forum on Environment and Rights
"Children Forum on Environment and Rights" is the organization of
the children to work with child rights issues and environmental
issues in the south west part of Bangladesh. This forum has formed
with the children from 5 children clubs (three from each) of Koyra,
Rupsa and Khulna. Each children club comprises of 20 to 25 children
in the selected area. The Children club has an executive committee
of three members where is a secretary, a treasurer, and a president.
These three members are elected by voting of the club member. The
Children forum on Environment and rights formed with the all
executive member of the children clubs. The forum consists 15
members where also another executive committee of seven member where
a secretary, a treasurer, a president and 4 general members. This
committee also elected by voting of the member of children forum.
The forum has an advisor. As the advisor A. T. M Zakir Hossian
executive director of JJS plays the role and provide right guideline
to establish their rights in these regions.
Vision
Ensuring active and huge participation of children in various
activities as children rights and Environmental issues
Objectives
• To ensure effective participation in decisions making process of
family, society and other national programs.
• Successful Implementation of child rights in every strata of
society.
• To make the society aware about the rights of the children.
• To maintain a sustainable environment to ages for children of
today and tomorrows.
• To make people aware about children mistreatment.
Major Activities of Children Forum
Awareness campaign
To aware the community on child rights and environment issue, the
forum has been continuing awareness campaign. The campaign is based
on following issues
• Drawbacks of early marriage.
• Child labor.
• Child trafficking.
• Children Care.
• Sensitisation about disable children.
• Birth registration campaign.
• Environmental degradation.
Cultural Training to the member of Children Club
Most of the children of this club are poor and they have a very
small access to formal primary or other education. Though they are
brilliant but due to poverty they have also far from practising
cultural activities. The club is a space from where children can
learn cultural activities as music, drama, dance etc. A cultural
trainer has been assigned from JJS who gives cultural training to
the children. In every club, a training organized in each month and
rest of the day children are practiced. The trainer give training on
drama, songs, dance, poem recitation etc. and make the children a
well-furnished performer. After the completion of the training a
volunteer trainer appointed to observe their regular practice and
performance. All these trainings are bearing the massages concerning
child rights and environmental issues.
Birth Registration Campaign
It is really important to maintain birth registration of every new
child. It helps to maintain accurate demographic statistics like
birth rate, death rate, fertility rate, infant mortality rate etc.
of the country. But many people do not make any step to register
their children. But it is easy to do because registration is done in
Union level, Thana level, City corporation area etc. So, we are
doing birth registration campaign every year to motivate people
about the registration of their child. We also make active
participation in case of crop up any constraint.
Sensitizing about Disable Children
Disable children are deprived of normal life. Disability is of many
types – major one is intellectual disability associated with
epileptic and attention deficiency hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
They cannot able to take the education that learns by normal
children. Realizing it by heart, JJS formed a support trust named
Shishu Kendra for disable children in July 2001. This Kendra is
responsible for all sorts of physiotherapy, occupational therapy,
education, skill training and other supports programs. It is also
incorporating the broader society that can ensure better and basic
humanistic support for the forthcoming disable children. It also
does awareness campaigning to sensitize and create positive attitude
among the parents, relatives and other people of the society.
Cultural Shows
This forum performed a number of cultural shows in different areas
to make the people more conscious about their children's basic
rights and also about the environment. Government officials of
respective area assist to arrange such cultural shows. In every
show, the performers try to furnish different message through their
performance of drama, songs, dance, role-play etc.
Special Day Observation
World Children’s Day, Street Children Day, World Environment Day,
International Literacy Day etc. are observed by the children of
different groups and forum with great significance. The children
arranged speech competitions, discussion among the aged people,
drama show, essay competition and rally, free tree distribution etc.
Future Intention
The ‘Children Forum on Environment and Child Rights’ is launched to
do something better for our privileged children within its
capability. We do not want any child as a labor, without education
and as a victim of social mistreatment. Every child should get
access in his basic rights without any hesitation and constraints
form their parents or other person. So we have an ambitious plan for
the future.
A children parliament should set up to express
their views about their future life and delineate proper actions for
that.
Networking and linkage
should do with national and international organizations.
A building
should be established for children club, training center, office
which launch by the children.
Though establishing child rights is really a
hard task but this initiative already starting to promote child
rights in the south west region of Bangladesh. At least children are
getting a platform to express their demand and getting opportunity
to make some better work for them and future generation.
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