Incidents did not increase but reporting did

Violence against children in the country did not increase, rather more incidents were reported by the media, said State Minister for Women and Children's Affairs Ministry Meher Afroz Chumki yesterday.

"Years ago children were married off at the age of 10-11 and were tortured in almost every house but these were never reported. Nowadays with so many newspapers, television channels and online media, an incident is immediately reported and we get scared," she said, adding that statistics at police stations did not show an increase.

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She was responding to a query from a child in the audience regarding her concern about the increasing violence against children, at an open discussion on ways to prevent child marriage and violence against children.

National Girl Child Advocacy Forum, the Debate for Democracy, Shariatpur Development Society, International Child Development Initiative (ICDI) and Islamic Relief organised the programme at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation in the capital.   

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) statistics, the number of children killed and tortured last year was 218, and between January and July this year was 161.

Children of different age and socio-economic background participated in the discussion and asked questions to the state minister; Sultana Kamal, human rights activist and also executive director of ASK; and Krishnapada Roy, joint commissioner (crime) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

Replying to a question from a child belonging to the Dalit community who failed to get admission in schools outside her community because of her background, Sultana Kamal said, "It is our failure and shame that we could not establish a non-discriminatory society even after 44 years of our independence."

Chumki emphasised changing people's mentality by creating awareness and urged parents to love their children and not use them for earning money or marrying them off at an early age.

She once again said the minimum legal marriageable age for girls would remain at 18 in the new proposed Child Marriage Restrain Act.

Nasima Akhter Jolly, secretary of the National Girl Child Advocacy Forum, was present among others.