N.S.M. Muzzammel Huq :
Bangladesh entered into the path of a developing nation with ultimate goal of achieving the status of a developed nation by 2041. In this process we have already crossed the level of least developed country status. This benchmark qualifications of a middle income country status means that the country is now more capable of dealing with the issues it is faced with by its own. With greater capacities to invest, Bangladesh would envisage a change in the distribution of resources. With multiple competing demands at hand one would need to be present and ensure balanced and justified investment in institutional, human and social infrastructures. According to UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) it is responsibility of the state to progressively realize child rights and make best possible investment in children for blooming like flowers.
To make Bangladesh a child friendly country we can cluster our expectations in three broad areas:
Prevention of death of children by eradicating the causes of their vulnerable years (under five). Despite significant improvements in the recent decades, Bangladesh still faces high under five mortality rate. At the national level, it is still likely 46 of every 1,000 children die before they reach their fifth year. This rate is higher in rural areas- 56 in 1000 and even higher among the poor-62 in 1000. So with rural and poor population being the worst victims, one strategic investment point could be community clinics in which government has already made significant investments. As per government report about 13,136 community clinics are providing healthcare services and medicines free of cost. Here we should prioritize appointment of child specialists who may visit these clinics once in a week.
Ensuring developing opportunity for every child with quality education for all is essential for a child friendly country. Emphasis has been given in child education but still worrying facts reveals that 5.5 million children in the country are still out of school and we have not allocated sufficient education budget to improve it in recent past. Besides that for disable, the quality aspects of our education services should improve. So wider coverage of education stipends, and investments in disability friendly education infrastructure with budget allocation is a demand of the time. A mid-day meal project can be a great option to support the poor students to remain in school and this will improve their nutritional needs.
Violence against children is a heinous crime and the incidences of violence against children have been increased alarmingly in the recent years. We are at war to curb the incidences of child marriage. We have launched campaign against corporate punishment in schools, work places, institutions as well as in our homes. Child labor, sexual violence, abuse and exploitation of children still remain. In this context our resources need to be channelled towards strengthening the child protection system.
In the perspective of our successful implementation of (MDGs) now we are on the road to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). (SDGs)-16.2 where we are committed to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children. This requires stronger institutions to implement stringent laws and deliver effective services, enhanced capacity to protect our children from all sorts of violence.
Around 40 percent of our total population of the country is children. They are our future dream and demand special emphasis to the physical and mental development. The government has already drafted National Child policy and an integrated policy for primary care and development of children. The government, in order to mainstream child development in national planning and budgeting, presented child budget in the last two fiscal years. In FY 2016-17 a report entitled ‘BikoshitoShishuSomriddho Bangladesh’ (Blooming Children, prosperous Bangladesh), a child related activities undertaken by seven Ministries/ Divisions. Same type of Compilation report will be published.
During the budget speech of 2018-19 the Honorable Finance Minister mentioned that today’s children will translate our vision, both medium and long term. The government has been implementing multifaceted programs for creating appropriate environment for physical and mental development of children. Running child development centers of children who are at risk of child labor and early marriage, establishment of day care centers for the children of working mothers are some of these programs. He also mentioned that programs like establishment of drop in centers children friendly zones, open air school and tariff free child helpline are going on for the development of underprivileged children. He pledged that the present government’s goal is to allocate 20 percent of total budget for children by 2020. The total national budget of 2018-19 has been declared as to the tune of Tk. 4, 64,573 crores. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs have been allocated 3,490 crore in the budget of 2018-19. The budget of the selected 15 Ministries has been increased by 11.7 percent compared to that of FY 2017-18 budgets. Child sensitive allocation has been increased up to 43.6 percent in FY 2018-19 from 41.4 percent of FY 2017-18 of the total budget of different ministries. Side by side, share of child budget in national budget has increased, a bit. It is now 14.13 percent which was 13.97 percent in FY 2017-18. The most encouraging fact is that the allocation in child center activities has increased to 2.59 percent from 2.50 percent as percentage of GDP.
To achieve the ultimate goal of a developed nation, a child friendly country should maintain the continuity of development achieved in the socio-economic arena. It has become imperative for us to safeguard the rights of children enshrined in the constitution, the Children’s Act and different other international treaties and covenants. Therefore children of all state of life should be engaged while formulating policies on alleviation of child poverty, all forms of torture, and discrimination against children, and other menaces they encounter. The foremost importance is whatever the allocation given is to ensure that budget is utilized-effectively, equitably, and transparently to establish children’s rights. Maximum utilization of child sensitive budget for the welfore of downtrodden children will substantially improve social equity. Effective monitoring and evaluation system is required. All these efforts combined together will make our world an adorable place for children to live in where all their innate qualities and possibilities will blossom freely in multitude of directions and colors. The more we proceed towards the strategy of a developing country, the more we will see a shift in the development discourse away from resource availability to resource utilization. But our children must be prioritized.
(PID-Project Feature)
