The Scenario of Child Rights in Bangladesh

 

Bangladesh is a country in southern Asia that is still developing. The country's citizens are unconcerned about children's rights. Furthermore, we all know that Bangladesh is a heavily populated nation, hence why the majority of the population lives in poverty. Because of the severe poverty in Bangladesh, most youngsters are unable to reveal themselves and do not receive basic rights from society. The majority of parents assign tasks to their children sothey to earn more money. Although, in Bangladesh, around 13% of children are involved in child lobbying and are denied school and child rights access. Occasionally, the children will include them in criminal activity, such as the use of narcotics or the possession of unlawful things.

I attempted to demonstrate the importance of children's rights, how to reduce torture, and the benefits to the country if children's rights are effectively applied. The employment of children Act of 1938 prohibits the employment of children under the age of 12 years, while the factories Act of 1965 prohibits the employment of children under the age of 14 years in any factory. The employment age under various legislation varies from 14 to 18 years, according to a new law implemented in 2006. According to the United Nations, (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, an individual under the age of 18 is a child (UNCRC).Another child legislation of 1974 said that a person is considered a kid if they are under the age of 16.

The Anti-women and Children's Oppression (Amendment) Act of 2003 states that a person is considered a minor if he or she is under the age of 16. A kid who has attained the age of 18 can put a bid on the property or sell it, according to another amending Act passed by the Court of Wards in 2006. According to Muslim law, a child becomes an adult when she reaches the age of 12 for girls and 15 or 16 for boys.We generally know that every childhas the right to an education, a dwelling, food, wealth, health care, clean water, sanitation, participation, and protection, among other things. Regrettably, we must conclude that children's rights are not adequately protected in Bangladesh due to human rights violations. As a result, the majority of youngsters go to work in the fields to make money to support their families or live a decent life. Discrimination, a lack of social consciousness, poverty, and illiteracy prevent all children from obtaining their rights.

It is a cause of sorrow that 26% of the population is still living in poverty because of rising food prices and natural calamities, the majority of people are unable to earn enough money to buy food stated to the FAO. Despite having the right to nutrition, the majority of children are unable to obtain adequate nourishment, and as a result, they are unable to function effectively in school, and society, and develop into healthy adults. In Bangladesh, there are 2.2 million children under the age of five who are malnourished. The enmity of having every child's entitlement to an education, which they are unable to obtain due to corruption;as a result, children are involved incrimes that are high ranges threats to society.

The current iteration of child rights in Bangladesh is at an absolute low point, which is unsatisfactory. When it comes to child labor, Bangladesh ranks fairly high. Rural youngsters are more likely to be employed in the labor force. They did not receive a fair salary in any of the employment categories. Child labor rates are greater among males (17.5 percent) than girls (8.1 percent). In Bangladesh, almost 45 percent of child laborers do not attend school to learn something. A huge array of children's jobs exists, including domestic labor, commercial sex work, and smuggling. The fundamental reason for the rise in child labor in Bangladesh is poverty.

Children participate in unskilled physical labor such as rickshaw pulling (17%), day labor (18%), transportation (12%), and agricultural activities (10%), among other things. Child labor rates are down in affluent nations, while they are steadily rising in Bangladesh. The majority of street children labor in metropolitan areas since they have no relatives or even kin.  despite having rights, they also suffer from health, education, and lack of sufficient sanitation, shelter, and medical treatment. According to UNICEF (2009), these are the issues that are escalating at alarming rates in Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, violence and persecution of girls are at an all-time high, with 2200 youngsters committing suicide as a result of violations of their rights, according to the Bangladesh health and injury survey. Bangladesh is now dealing with several difficulties, including child abuse and sexual harassment. Gender discrimination is a widespread occurrence, and eve-teasing to girls is a sad situation stemming from the same repercussions of child marriage in Bangladesh, which is greater than in other nations. Above all, the difficulties in Bangladesh are at absolute levels. Pistols, revolvers, bullets, pipe guns, short guns, cut-rifles, hand bombs, knives, swords, and razors are all carried by the youngsters in shantytowns.

The government of Bangladesh, as well as social groups, non-governmental organizations, international and human rights organizations, and children's rights organizations, have already taken some required initiatives. The procedures include ensuring good health care, improving rural people's educational qualifications to reduce child labor, providing allowances to disadvantaged families, and developing food and education programs, among others. We can protect children's rights by following the aforementioned ideas.


Mohammad Al-Amin & Rokeya Akter are Freelance writer.