Khulna: Children and youths have expressed a strong commitment to raising awareness about climate change, safe food, cyberbullying, drug addiction, and other social issues at a Children and Youth Forum conference held in Khulna. Organised by World Vision’s Khulna City Area Programme, the conference was held on Tuesday at the CSS Ava Centre in the city, where around 70 children and young participants joined the programme.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, separate Children and Youth Forums exist in all 31 wards of the Khulna City Corporation (KCC). Each children’s forum consists of 15 members and each youth forum has 13 members, bringing the total number of participants involved in these forums to 896 across the city. KCC Administrator Nazrul Islam Manju stated that the government plans to plant five crore saplings in the first year to tackle climate change and hoped the children and youth forums would support plantation drives across the city’s 31 wards.
Senior Manager of the programme, Fully Sarker, mentioned that the initiative is part of a project aimed at supporting children and other vulnerable groups. She noted that the Children and Youth Forums are active in all 31 wards of KCC and the development programme will continue until 2035. Through the project, children and youths are being connected with various government and non-government organisations to build awareness and take initiatives against child marriage, child abuse, and school dropouts.
She further explained that the forums have already prevented six child marriages in the past three months and are also working with persons with disabilities. Currently, about 4,000 children are registered under the programme in Khulna and the number is expected to reach 8,000 by 2027. National Child Forum member Samia Jannat shared her experience of working for children through the platform, helping prevent 10 child marriages, planting 500 trees, and collecting 25 maunds of plastic waste.
Assistant Professor of KUET Dr Anjum Tasnuva presented a multimedia presentation on climate change and adaptation, highlighting its impact on nature, agriculture, and livelihoods. Officials from food safety, women affairs, youth development, and police also spoke at the event, stressing the need for awareness and responsible use of technology to protect children and youths from cyberbullying and other social risks.