Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon on Sunday said it is the responsibility of the global community to extend help to Rohingya orphans as it is not possible for Bangladesh alone to give them citizenship or shelter for a long time.
The global community will have to come forward for saving the Rohingya orphans as they did after Bangladesh’s Liberation War to help the post-war orphans by adopting them.
The minister came up with the remarks at a discussion titled ‘Rights of Children and World Humanity’ at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) organised by it in association with Unicef, Bangladesh.
Citing government statistics, Menon said some 12,000 Rohingya orphans have fled to Bangladesh amid persecution in Myanmar but their future is uncertain though many international organisations are providing assistance for them. “If a safe and sound childhood cannot be ensured for these children, they can be the victims to many problems.”
On child rights, the minister said though there are laws to protect the rights of children, there are lack of awareness among people about it.
Menon also urged all to organise more seminars and discussions on child rights.
The other speakers who attended the discussion urged all to end all forms of violence against children for a better new generation.
They also called on the government and world community to take necessary steps to ensure a healthy future for Rohingya children who fled to Bangladesh amid violence in Myanmar.
Unicef representative Faria Selim presented the key note paper at the programme.
In the key note paper, she said Bangladesh has made much progress in protecting child rights but still there are many things to do.
She recommended that the government could establish a Child Rights Commission or Child Rights Department to help protect children. The speakers also seek an active role from the media to protect children’s rights.
