DHAKA, Sept 19, 2022 (BSS) - Child protection campaigners at a symposium today called for taking comprehensive actions for protection of children from all sorts of violence and abuses.

Both government and non-government actors along with relevant international organizations should work together to ensure child friendly atmosphere in every spheres of society, they told the symposium at a city hotel.

The first-ever "National Symposium on Child Protection in Bangladesh", was jointly organized by UNICEF and the European Union.

According to the joint statement, the Government of Bangladesh will recruit 6,000 new social workers, bringing the workforce from 3,000 to 9,000. The ground-breaking commitment to children comes after a comprehensive national household survey revealed that 45 million Bangladeshi children under the age of 15 - a shocking 89 per cent - are regularly subjected to physical and psychological violence at home, it added.

The statement also said, "In Bangladesh, over three million children are trapped in child labour of which 1.3 million are in hazardous forms of child labour. One in five children do not complete primary school. Nearly half of children do not have a birth registration."

"Over 100,000 children are in institutional care and lack family support. One in every two girls is made to marry while still a child. Untold millions of children live on the street" it added.

"Social workers reach deep into communities where children need them the most. I congratulate the Government of Bangladesh for this dramatic increase in the number of social workers to help more children to benefit from critical professional care," said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh.

Today's high-level child protection symposium brought together the Government, civil society, experts and international partners in discussions on the social service workforce, early identification of risks and interventions, the rights and needs of children with disabilities, and the child protection legal framework.

The participants from different organizations said Bangladesh has made tremendous progress in infrastructure development, digitization, poverty reduction and gender-based equity. Despite this, Bangladesh's number of children affected by violence, exploitation and neglect remains significant, they added.

"Children hold a significant potential to accelerate Bangladesh's development. Our event today is a unique opportunity towards ensuring children are protected from violence, abuse and exploitation, in particular the most vulnerable children and children with disabilities. The EU remains committed to supporting the Government to strengthen child protection systems in Bangladesh," said the Head of the EU delegation to Bangladesh, Ambassador Charles Whiteley.