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Tnter-ministerial initiative needed for overall improvement of children'

Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury,State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, talks to The Daily Star
Tnter-ministerial initiative needed
for overall improvement of children'
Apparently the slum children are the most underprivileged section of the society, but no comprehensive initiative has yet been taken for their overall improvement, said Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, State Minister of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.
An all-inclusive plan should be chalked out in collaboration with different government and nongovernment agencies to provide different sorts of facilities like education, health, sanitation and security for the slum children, she said.
This is not the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, rather designing development plan for slum dwellers and slum children depends on inter-ministerial decision.
A number of ministries like local government and rural development (LGRD), housing and public works, education, social welfare and health are related with slum dwellers' development plan.
The prime prerequisite for development of the slum children is to ensure education for them. Most of the slum children
remain out of the realm of education, while some start but drop out at primary level. The drop out rate among the slum children is alarming.
Replying to a question on government's initiatives to check the drop out rate, she said the government has introduced stipend for the female students along with free education, but these cannot draw more slum children to school. They show a sort of aversion to go to school and their parents are also show reluctance with excuse of poverty.
Claiming the slum children and street children as same, the government has launched a project to give financial aid to encourage them for primary education.
Under this project, a total of 500 street children across the country are paid Tk 1,500 monthly to meet their education cost and the major condition of receiving the aid is to attend school regularly. But this project is not focused on urban slum children.
The government has taken it as a pilot initiative. On the basis of its success, the project will be expanded later.
Besides, another project styled Early Learning for Child Development (ELCD) has been taken up under which around 8,500 centres have been established across the country to provide pre-primary schooling to the children aged between 1 to 6.
This project gives the
opportunities to the children to learn through amusement. Slum and street children are also included in this project.
Another project styled 'Amar Shishu' is being run by social welfare ministry's children rehabilitation activities. But it mainly focuses on Sidr and Aila-affected children.
"We are working to give different sorts of facilities to the underprivileged children through Shishu Bikash Kendra in different spots across the country," the state minister said.
Another project in collaboration with Ahsania Mission remains on the card to rehabilitate around 10,000 children in Panchagar. Huge number of street children from the Dhaka city will be transferred there.
These initiatives have been taken as a special attention to the underprivileged children.
No special initiative has been taken to develop the sanitation system and health care system for women and children in urban slum from her ministry, said Sharmin.
"LGRD ministry sometimes conducts some sanitation activities in slum. We have a plan to launch programme jointly with development partners on health and sanitation of slum children and women," she said.
Talking about security of the slum children, she said her ministry has undertaken two projects. One is to rehabilitate the drug-addicted slum chil-
dren and the second to develop the female children that includes protecting them from sexual harassment and early-marriage.
If the lifestyle of slum dwellers can be improved, the rights of the slum children will automatically be protected because deprivation from rights are closely linked with poverty.
Talking about their rehabilitation, she said the government should think focusing on two options. Incorporating them in the urban development and returning them to rural areas.
If employment opportunities can be ensured in rural areas for them, it will be easy to rehabilitate them in village. Rest of them should be included in urban development policy.
Through projects like 'Ghore Fera Karmoshuchi' and 'Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar' the government encourages people to return to village. Most of the government policies formulated focusing on the development of rural area and agriculture.
In addition to that, development of information technology and communication system can be a significant technique for rehabilitating the slum dwellers in rural area. That is why, different ministries should work jointly to meet the goal.
Above all, rehabilitation of slum children depends on the success of massive plan for poverty reduction, she maintained.