RAJSHAHI, Oct 26, 2022 (BSS) - Integrated efforts of all the government and non-government organizations concerned and other stakeholders can be the crucial means of protecting children from drowning.

Drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five in the country, making it a major public health concern.
 
All individuals, communities and the government agencies should come forward and work together towards raising awareness to ensure every child's right to survive and thrive.

High government officials and development activists came up with the observation while addressing a divisional workshop titled "Child drowning prevention" at Master Chef Restaurant in the city today.

Agriculture Sustainable & Socio-Economic Development Organization (ASSEDO) and Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) jointly organized the workshop supported by Global Health Advocacy Incubator Bangladesh (GHACB).

Commissioner of Rajshahi division GSM Zafarullah addressed the workshop as chief guest, while GHACB Country Lead Muhammad Ruhul Quddus spoke on the occasion as focal person with Proctor of Rajshahi University Professor Asabul Haque in the chair.

Sarwar-E-Alam, Programme Manager of GHACB, gave an illustration on the child drowning issue in both global and Bangladesh perspective during his keynote presentation.

Civil Surgeon Dr Abu Sayeed Muhammad Faruque, CAMPE Deputy Director Dr Mustafizur Rahman and ASSEDO Executive Director Rabiul Alam also spoke.

Ruhul Quddus apprised the meeting that Bangladesh has one of the highest drowning rates in the world among children under five, where 30 children die each day.

Eighty percent of these drowning happen within 20 meters of the family home - mainly in ditches, ponds and other open water bodies and the lack of adequate supervision results in 70 percent of drowning deaths among children under five.

In his remarks, GSM Zafarullah viewed that increased awareness among families and communities, providing safety and swimming skills for children and adolescents and ensuring childcare facilities for pre-school children can be the best ways of preventing child drowning.

He attributed that the United Nations General Assembly declared July 25 as the World Drowning Prevention Day to acknowledge drowning as a leading cause of death worldwide and highlight that every death from drowning is preventable in 2021.

Commissioner Zafarullah told the meeting that the present government has adopted a three-year project that will reduce drowning deaths in children, a silent epidemic that is the leading cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 4, on February 22 last.

The comprehensive project will be implemented in 45 upazilas of 16 districts with the main thrust of reducing child drowning during the hours of 9am - 1pm, when parents and elders are busy with work.

In the workshop, the participants in six group discussions put forward a set of recommendations on how to supplement the government efforts of preventing child drowning.