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Children’s Access to Information
Fayazuddin Ahmad writes for DOT :
Children need to access and share information, ideas,and concerns. An interactive forum can fulfill this need. A study by the Save the Children Bangladesh revealed that children felt the need for a child led dedicated cross-media platform where they can interact among themselves and invite relevant stakeholders for listening to the ideas of children on their rights issues. For this, a digital cross-media platform could provide a space for children to display the achievements of the above stated three children led organizations both at the national and international level.
Child rights-based organizations can use new media to support this interactive digital platform for the promotion of child rights. This platform will reduce the digital divide by building an extensive partnership by providing information and opportunities for children to better understand their rights and participate in a community where they are able to express their ideas and opinions.
For appropriate utilization of the said platform, equitable and safe access to ICT by the children needs to be ensured. The initiative should ensure that girls in all areas of Bangladesh get equal access to ICT services; at school, in the family home and in public access locations such as cyber cafes. Restrictions placed on the movement of girls and women further compounds the problem and makes it difficult for female children to enjoy the same rights to information and participation as males.
In the given context, it is important to build a partnership with existing government and non-government facilities for creating sustained and safe access for children, particularly for girls, ensuring representation of both girls and boys including children from disadvantaged groups, providing extra support to girls and children from disadvantaged groups. These facilities may include local champions, such as female teachers of primary and secondary schools, women from the community, local government representatives, and others who provide ICTs services in communities.
Children should be protected from rights violations, abuses, and need equitable access to services. Many children in Bangladesh are invisible because they live in slum areas, work in domestic settings or have not been registered as citizens. These children have limited access to services that will protect them, help them reach their full potential and ensure their human rights are being fulfilled. These children are often ‘outside of the system’ and lack access to services such as education and health leaving them vulnerable to violence, engagement in work that is hazardous and other harmful practices.
The impact of being unable to grow in a safe environment and have their basic rights fulfilled is detrimental to the development of children who are often transient or hard to reach. The growing socio-economic inequality in Bangladesh has the most impact on those children who are marginalized and the effects of inadequate healthcare, education, and protection contribute to this increasing gap. Targeted strategies to reduce this impact need to be developed in such a way that maximum numbers of children are protected from rights violations and have equitable access to services.
The writer is an Advocate.