The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Half of Bangladesh's children live in poverty, white one in four are deprived of food, education, health, information, shelter, water and sanitation, a UNICEF study revealed yesterday.

About 33 million children in Bangladesh are living below the poverty line, it added in a study on "Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities" at a local hotel in the capital.

Proper attention should be given to the children and otherwise it would not be possible to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it said.

Carel de Rooy, Country Representative of UNICEF made the opening remarks while Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs was present as chief guest.

Prof Abul Barkat, University of Dhaka and Team Leader of HDRC, presented the key findings of the report.

Dr Shirin Sharmin said Bangladesh has achieved commendable success in immunisation, enrollment of children in primary education. She said as part of the election pledges the government was to reduce the plights of poverty stricken children.

She said the study would help reduce poverty and ensure fundamental rights of children.

Carel de Rooy termed the child poverty in Bangladesh as a matter of grave concern.

Prof Abul Barkat said the condition of children's poverty in Barisal and Rajshahi were worste than others divisions. He suggested forming a separate ministry for dealing with child affairs.

According to this new study, 64 per cent of children in Bangladesh are deprived of sanitation, 52 are deprived of information, 57 per cent are deprived of nutrition, 41 per cent are deprived of shelter, 16 per cent are deprived of health and 80 per cent are deprived of education. It said the variation of child poverty depends on mother's education. Mother's education also has a mitigating impact on the severity of child's deprivations.

UNICEF conducted the study in 46 countries. Of them, Bangladesh was the first to submit its report.

Shaikh Altaf Ali, secretary to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD) and Azizur Rahman, Chief Information Officer of Information Commission, among others, attended the programme.