Dhaka: Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal announced on Thursday that the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights will collaborate with UNICEF to ensure the protection of child rights in Bangladesh. A caucus will be created, consisting of chairpersons from relevant parliamentary standing committees and members of parliament from both the treasury and opposition benches, to safeguard children’s interests and develop child-friendly policies.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the Deputy Speaker made these remarks during a courtesy meeting with a UNICEF delegation led by Social Policy Manager Hasina Begum at his office at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The Deputy Speaker expressed optimism that this caucus will play a crucial role in parliamentary discussions on child rights and in securing increased budget allocations for the sector.
Barrister Kayser Kamal highlighted that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is particularly attentive to child rights issues. He pointed out that the Prime Minister has already issued directives to allow children the opportunity to observe parliamentary sessions from the galleries.
The UNICEF delegation informed the Deputy Speaker about their successful advocacy for including 10 priority rights for children-such as health, education, and protection-in the election manifestos of various political parties. They also praised the government’s timely measures in addressing the ongoing measles situation.
During the meeting, both parties discussed an array of issues, including child-friendly policy formulation, increased social protection, budgetary enhancements, and bilateral cooperation.