Experts on Tuesday sought a holistic approach to protect children from physical and mental violence, exploitation, child marriage and gender-based discrimination.
They also stressed the need for building mass awareness, specially among the media people, to help children to flourish their inner potentialities overcoming barriers in families, educational institutions and society.
“We must change our mindset first to prevent child abuse. A holistic approach is needed to ensure child protection,” Chief Editor of national news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Abul Kalam Azad said while inaugurating the two-day workshop for the newsmen at Shilpakala Academy in the city on Tuesday.
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha in collaboration with Save the Children organised the workshop on “Reporting on Violence Against Children” which was joined by 23 journalists of different print and electronic media.
Azad urged journalists to continue their campaign and highlight the actual facts in their respective reporting aimed at upholding the dignity of the children, future architect of the country.
Chief Editor of Ekhushey Television and president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul told the workshop that journalists should be more active and objective in the field of investigative journalism to unearth the unknown-but-real causes of any incident.
“Children are not responsible for being abused or tortured. Society as a whole is responsible for this,” Bulbul observed.
Director News of the Ekattor Television Syed Ishtiaq Reza, the moderator of the workshop, urged all to work unitedly to prevent the violence against children including the domestic maid.
He stressed to enact a new law for the children prohibiting all sorts of corporal punishment.
Professor Dr Shanaz Huda of Dhaka University Law Department, Laila Khondkar, director of Child Protection of the Save the Children, Chief Reporter of BSS Ashequn Nabi Chowdhury, Convener of Children Affairs Journalists Network (CAJN) Mahfuza Jasmine also took part in the workshop.
