Community Engagement Crucial To End Child Abuse: Speakers

Community engagement and integrated efforts of concerned organizations can be the best way of exterminating sexual harassment and exploitation against children, said academics and experts today.

They called the children as the driving force to take the nation forward, saying utmost emphasis should be given on freeing them from all sorts of exploitations, repression and discriminations.

The observation came at a stakeholder's dialogue titled "Sexual Exploitation against Children and Survivors Protection" here.

Association for Community Development (ACD) organized the dialogue on behalf of its project titled "Down to Zero Alliance Bangladesh (Stepping up the Fight against Child Sexual Exploitation" supported by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands and Free A Girl. During the keynote presentation, Social Work department Prof Rabiul Islam from Rajshahi University identified girls as main victims of sexual exploitation.

He said adolescent girls sometimes are victimized luring them to give jobs abroad. Once they are sexually abused, they don't have an alternative way to come back home. He added.

Deputy Director of Department of Youth Development ATM Golam Mahbub and Cristina Eugenia Reyna Sanchez, Program Manager, Free a Girl Netherlands, also spoke, disseminating their expertise on the issue. ACD Project Coordinator Monirul Islam gave an illustration of the project along with its aims, objectives and implementation strategy during his multimedia presentation.

Director Programme Sharmin Subrina welcomed the participants, while Program Coordinator Subrata Kumar Paul moderated the discussion. Discussants unequivocally called for forging social resistance against any sorts of violence and repression against children so that they can flourish their latent talents.

Children will remain secure from sexual repression and harassment if the guardians monitor them properly, they observed. The speakers also called for building a child congenial atmosphere and close collaboration and coordination among government agencies and civil societies for ensuring safety of children.

BSS