End Violence against Children

I am a Bangladeshi national with 17 years of experience in international development. Until May 15, 2020, I was the global Head of Advocacy and Policy-Child Protection, Save the Children International. Earlier I have worked with the organization in various technical, management and leadership positions in Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Liberia and Australia, and made contribution to child rights realization with a focus on ending violence against children. My responsibilities included implementing programs with children and families in their communities as well as policy and legal advocacy-nationally and globally.

I have worked with CARE International on HIV/AIDS and strengthening program quality. I have conducted research at Centre for International Development (Harvard University), Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies (South Africa), and Institute of Population and Social Research (Mahidol University, Thailand). I have presented papers in international conferences, and provide thought leadership by writing opinion pieces on child rights. 

The project will contribute to reducing violence against children in Bangladesh.

A campaign will be launched to motivate people to perform their responsibilities in protecting children.

There will be capacity development of parents on raising children in a non-violent way and make them aware on the importance of education, which will contribute to reducing child marriage, child labour, child trafficking etc. Children will be empowered so that they can protect themselves from violence. Service providers will be trained to offer child friendly services in two districts (Shariatpur and Sirajgonj) and a coordination mechanism will be established to pilot a model to protect children.

Advocacy will be done with the government and donors for more investment on ending violence against children, and establishing a child protection system to prevent and respond to all forms of violence.

Ending violence against children will lead to peaceful societies and contribute to sustainable development. 

Violence against children affects more than one billion children globally and already costs the world up to US$7 trillion a year.  Violence is a serious violation of children’s rights and also affects their health, education and overall development.  Due to COVID-19, millions of children are facing the heightened risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.

 448 Children were killed and 1005 children were raped in 2019 in Bangladesh (source: Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum).  This is based on the reported cases; actual number could be much higher. 59% Girls are married before their 18th birthday.  According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of 2012-2013 for Bangladesh, 82.3% of children (1-14 years) had experienced psychological aggression or physical punishment during the month preceding the survey (source: UNICEF and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2015). Working children face exploitation and violence by employers. Many children are at risk of trafficking. There is an increase in potential or actual online harms, including sexual exploitation and cyber-bullying due to increased internet use by children.

In Bangladesh, a culture of impunity, combined with a weak child protection system, and, society’s tolerance of violence against children, make children very vulnerable.

The project aims at changing attitudes and practices regarding violence against children by raising awareness at the community level. Through active engagement with print, electronic and social media, a campaign will be launched to make violence against children socially unacceptable and to motivate all to be pro-active in creating a child friendly society. Capacities of children, parents, community members, service providers will be built; mechanisms will be in place to prevent and respond to violence against children.

This project is unique, as it will take a comprehensive systems approach to combating violence against children. Government’s ability to address all child protection concerns (e.g. working children, child marriage, corporal punishment, trafficking etc.) will be improved by advocating for a functional and well-funded child protection system.

The major cross cutting themes of this project will be ensuring that all activities are gender sensitive and/or transformative; that marginalized groups such as children with disabilities, refugee children, ethnic and religious minorities etc. are included; that the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning system provides timely management information disaggregated by gender allowing for course corrections as needed; and, that the project results in a model that can be taken to scale and is sustainable.  

Due to the public awareness campaign, the project will reach all men, women and children of Bangladesh in one way or other. The project will also pilot an initiative related to capacity building and coordination of service delivery on addressing violence against children in both rural and urban areas of two districts: Sirajganj and Shariatpur. Children, parents/caregivers, members of community based groups working on children and other social development issues, Government and NGO service providers (legal, medical, rehabilitation, etc.) of these districts will be the direct beneficiaries of the project. 

We already have some understanding on the needs of children and communities in Sirajganj and Shariatpur districts due to the work of several NGOs. Both districts are economically disadvantaged, are prone to natural disasters making children very vulnerable to school drop-out, child marriage, trafficking, physical violence etc. However, people are resilient and there is a strong community coherence.

During the inception phase (first three months), the project will facilitate in-depth consultations with children, parents/caregivers, community members, service providers, locally elected representatives, social welfare staff etc. In addition to identifying the challenges, efforts will be made to understand the good practices that can help protect children from violence.

The project will contribute to reducing violence against children in Bangladesh.

Laws and policies are important, but not enough to bring social norms change. We must make violence against children socially unacceptable.

There will be public awareness, capacity building, establishment of mechanism for service delivery and advocacy. All these will hopefully contribute to bringing attitudinal and behavioral changes related to children.

Children are at the bottom of social hierarchy in our patriarchal society. The project will engage with the communities meaningfully so that they can be part of the solutions, and the changes sustain even when the project ends. 

The proposed project on ending violence against children in Bangladesh is a result of my experience in Child Protection sector in several countries as well as my contribution to global level work.

Providing technical assistance to the government in establishing a child protection system that address the needs of the entire children population has been a highlight of my work in Papua New Guinea. In Liberia, I focused on supporting the government in implementing deinstitutionalization policy.  I led Child Protection and Child Rights Governance sectors of Save the Children in Bangladesh for four years.

My global level work included facilitating sessions at the United Nations Secretariat in New York, delivering speeches at Human Rights Council, contributing to child and human rights monitoring mechanisms to hold governments accountable, providing inputs to various resolutions, participating in High Level Political Forum etc.

While working on violence against children and having conversations with colleagues in various parts of the world, I felt the need to design and implement a project in a holistic way. In most cases, it was difficult to do that due to specific focus of donors. That is why I have been dreaming about this project for a long time.

From leading programs on Child Protection in several countries to influencing various Member States at the United Nations on stronger political commitment to end violence against children-I have been a passionate advocate to protect children from violence.  It is our collective failure that globally around 1 billion children still face violence each year.

I shall always remember the children whom I have met in different regions of the world ranging from urban slums in Bangladesh to refugee camps in Liberia. Many of whom have experienced violence affecting their lives negatively. Contributing to their protection has been a humbling experience. I strongly believe that we need to be better, do more and be more effective if we want to achieve the SDG target of #16.2 “End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children.”

Over the last four decades, Bangladesh has made significant achievements in child health and education. However, progress in addressing violence against children is still limited. I can imagine bold and courageous solutions and work with creativity and hopefulness. I remain committed to utilize my expertise and experience in bringing lasting changes in the lives of children of Bangladesh through this project.

I have worked with Save the Children for 13 years.  The organization was established 100 years ago and operates in 120 countries to ensure that all children can learn, survive and be protected from violence. Providing leadership in designing and implementing programs on children’s rights in several countries (e.g. Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea, Liberia) has been rewarding. As the global Head of Advocacy and Policy-Child Protection, I remained responsible for influencing governments to work more effectively to end violence against children.

I combine vision with pragmatism and rigorous technical understanding with insights from the field. Interacting with children and families in various settings (e.g. remote rural areas, urban slums, refugee camps) has been an enriching experience.  I utilize the learning for advocacy with the ministries at the national level and to influence processes at the United Nations. I also have a well-established national and global network.

Studying at University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar has deepened my commitment to public service. In addition to MSc Control of Infection Diseases from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, I have completed Post-Graduate Diploma: Children, Youth and Development from Institute of Social Studies (the Nederlands). In March 2020, I received admission at Kennedy School of Government (Harvard University) to study Mid-Career Master in Public Administration/Mason Fellows Program, but deferred due to the shifting of the course online.

I am confident that I have developed the knowledge, skills and competencies to lead a project on ending violence against children in Bangladesh. 

In Bangladesh, I led Save the Children’s advocacy efforts on Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA) 2016 when the government added special circumstances provision allowing marriage of girls below 18 years. We partnered with Child Rights Advocacy Coalition and Girls Not Brides.  I contributed to development of position paper and press briefings, wrote opinion pieces, and participated in television talk shows.

Despite all advocacy, CMRA was approved by the Cabinet on 24th November, 2016 with the special circumstances provision. This was a serious setback for the child and women’s rights movement in Bangladesh. But I did not give up, and continued to influence the government.

I along with partner organizations participated in public demonstration and maintained active media engagement. Save the Children was asked by the government to be one of the seven members for drafting Rules of Procedures for CMRA. We ensured that the Rules include measures so that the provision is not being misused to force girls to marriage.

I learnt it is important to remain engaged even when the initial outcomes are not according to expectations, as that helps us in minimizing harm and also continue to advocate to bring the required changes in future.

I was the Director- Child Protection and Child Rights Governance of Save the Children in Bangladesh for four years (Sep 2014-Sep 2018), and led a team of 35 staff. We worked in partnership with twenty national NGOs with hundreds of staff. We had interventions in all regions of the country.

The portfolio covered ending violence against children, ensuring children without families receive appropriate care, protecting children from harmful work, strengthening child protection systems to prevent and respond to violence. I have contributed to holding local and national governments accountable in fulfilling their responsibilities by mobilizing civil society coalitions for child rights, advocating for more public investment in children and facilitating processes to empower children as change agents.  Establishing the Child Protection program for Rohingya refugee children has been an important piece of my work in Bangladesh.

Giving media (print and electronic) interviews at national and global levels, speaking out against child rights violations and appearing on television and radio talk shows were part of my job. I provided thought leadership by writing regularly on child rights issues for The Daily Star and Prothom Alo (reaches 7.6 million readers everyday)-the highest circulating English and Bengali newspapers in Bangladesh respectively.

The project will be implemented through Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF).

BSAF is a national network of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) actively engaged in child rights work. It was formed and launched in 1990, following the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by Bangladesh.  BSAF presently has 269 members.

The project team will be responsible for the design, implementation and monitoring of the project while BSAF will provide administrative support.  BSAF is also a member of different government committees on child rights. The project will be able to utilize those for achieving its objectives.

The following are innovative aspects of the project:

• Creative use of technology (e.g. promoting messages on non-violent parenting, addressing child marriage, child labour, protecting children online etc. through short videos; which will be disseminated through various social media channels). This will be helpful in reaching a huge number of people. Community radios or locally appropriate media will be used in rural areas with limited access to internet.
• Collaborate with mobile phone operators to make internet safe for children and also promote child protection messages.
• According to an African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”. Each member of society needs to perform his/her responsibilities effectively to ensure children’s protection and overall development. In this project, people from various sectors of society (e.g. writers, artists, players) will be involved to increase awareness of general public on protecting children from physical, mental and sexual violence and creating a child sensitive society. Creative tools (e.g. music, stories, films, photography) will be used for public awareness campaign.
• Listen to voices of children, parents/caregivers and community members in various stages of project development and implementation. If needed, adjustments will be made along the way. Communities will identify the solutions, which will contribute to sustainability at the end of the project.
• Children will be able to express their views on different aspects of their lived realities through painting, writing, photography, video making etc. They will be empowered to protect themselves from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect.

Goal: Reduced incidence of violence against children in Bangladesh.

Outcome 1: Enhanced effectiveness of social mobilization to prevent violence against children at the community level. 

Output 1.1:  Public awareness campaign launched and implemented.

Activities:

• Undertake a campaign involving print, electronic and social media for public awareness to change social norms regarding violence against children, informing them on prevention and response mechanisms.
• Train children to protect themselves from physical, mental and sexual violence in homes, schools, work settings, and public places and also develop capacity for protection from  online abuse.
• Train parents/caregivers on positive parenting techniques and also protecting children online.
• Train community members to facilitate initiatives to prevent and respond to violence against children.

Output 1.2: Capacity of children, parents, caregivers and community members developed.

Activities:

Outcome 2: Enhanced access of child survivors of violence to quality, age appropriate services from the Government and NGOs (in two districts).

Output 2.1: Referral system established and made functional.

Activities

• Collaborate with service providers to create multi-sectorial referral pathways, including linkages of child survivors and their families with social and educational services (e.g. vocational training opportunities, income generation programmes and government social protection schemes).
• Monitor the implementation of child-friendly report mechanisms.

Output 2.2: Capacity of service providers developed.

Activities:

• Train service providers (police, medical professionals, counselors etc.) on providing child friendly consultation, counselling and support services.
• Provide case management training to social workers.

Outcome 3: Strengthened Government’s child protection system to prevent and respond to violence against children at all levels.

Output 3.1:  Advocacy for a functional and well-funded child protection system.

Activities:

• Advocate for greater efficiencies in legal proceedings for all cases related to violence against children as well as the enforcement of existing laws and policies.
• Advocate with the government for more funding for Child Protection.

(INSPIRE will be contextualized while implementing the project. INSPIRE is a set of seven evidence-based strategies for countries and communities working to eliminate violence against children, which was launched in 2016 by ten international agencies with a long history of using scientific approaches to understand and prevent violence against children.)

My ultimate goal is to end violence against children in Bangladesh and to create a society where children are treated with respect and dignity. However, it may not be possible to achieve that within five years. But I would like to make significant progress in this regard.

Violence results in death, injuries and disabilities. Children exposed to violence are at increased risk of mental illness, high-risk behaviours like alcohol and drug abuse, smoking and unsafe sex, chronic diseases etc. There may also be educational under attainment due to violence. Moreover, children who survive violence in childhood may become victims or perpetrators of violence in adult life. We must end violence against children if we are to create peaceful societies and achieve sustainable development.

At the end of one year, I would like to create public awareness on the importance of ending violence against children. Very high level of societal acceptance of different forms of violence remains as one of the root causes. By the end of one year, I would like to generate a discussion by engaging various stakeholders of society so that all feel motivated to end violence against children.

All of us (parents, caregivers, teachers, community members, service providers, governments, national and international organizations) need to do more to ensure violence against children is not tolerated, and all children can grow up to realize their potential. The project will make a significant contribution to that journey in Bangladesh through public awareness, capacity building and policy advocacy.

The following barriers could be encountered while implementing the project:    

Legal: In Bangladesh, there is no law banning corporal punishment of children in all settings. Domestic child labour is still not included in the most hazardous list. Perpetrators of violence against children are hardly brought to justice. It takes very long time to resolve cases.

Cultural barrier: There is social acceptance of corporal punishment of children. Although there is law banning child marriage, the rate is still very high due to weak implementation of the law as well as high level of social acceptance of this practice. Child labour is also widely accepted. 

Limited capacity: Most parents and caregivers are not aware about the negative consequences of violence on children’s lives, and also do not have the capacity to raise children in a non-violent way. They may resist some of the changes. There is lack of capacity of service providers in providing child friendly services.

Lack of funding: The total Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending for 2015 was US$174 billion. Of that, less than 0.6% was allocated to ending violence against children. Ending violence against children does not get the required allocation in national budget also.

COVID-19: There is increase in violence against children due to COVID-19. However, this issue may get further deprioritized due to the immediate concerns related to health, livelihoods of families etc.

The situation related to COVID-19 is still evolving in Bangladesh. It may be challenging to organize activities in the communities, especially in urban areas. 

Legal: The project will work closely with NGOs and coalitions at the national level that are engaged in advocating for better laws and policies as well as implementation of those for protecting children from violence.

Cultural: We shall engage with the communities in a meaningful way to address societal acceptance of violence against children. I believe that social norms change is a marathon, not a sprint.  We have to be strategic and understand the context within which people relate to each other. It is also useful to identify local champions (women and men) who will promote changes. Communities will have to feel empowered in identifying solutions, and those should not be imposed on them. Only then changes will sustain when the project ends.

Capacity: The project will develop the capacity of service providers to offer child friendly services. There will be initiatives to develop capacity of parents, caregivers and children also.

Funding: In partnership with child rights organizations and networks, we shall advocate with the government and donors to invest more in ending violence against children. We shall also explore other funding opportunities (e.g. crowdsourcing, funding from Bangladeshi corporates).

COVID-19: If it becomes challenging to organize activities due to COVID-19 situation then alternatives will be explored in consultation with the communities. Some activities could be organized in a limited way by maintaining the required social distancing. Local radios could be utilized for dissemination of messages. 

As an umbrella organization, Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF) maintains links and networking among different NGOs and other civil society organizations to share experiences and coordinate joint actions.

The following are also stakeholders of BSAF:

• Children and parents
• Ministries and Parliamentary Standing Committees (Women and Children Affairs; Home Affairs; Labor and Employment; Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Social Welfare)
• Local Government
• Policy makers and government officials
• Professional groups (academicians, journalists, media, civil society, human rights activists, religious leaders, development activists etc.)
• Community based organizations
• Law enforcement agencies
• Private entrepreneurs including employers
• Trade Unions
• Donors

It is the responsibility of the government to establish a functional child protection system to prevent and respond to all forms of violence. Through this project, we shall demonstrate successful model for child protection in two districts. Then we shall advocate with the government to scale it up across the country. We shall engage in advocacy with the government and major institutional donors for more investment in ending violence against children.

Bangladesh has a rising middle and upper middle class, and there are opportunities for crowdsourcing. Moreover, Bangladeshi diaspora have been donating to various causes in recent years. There is a plan to approach them. Some Bangladeshi corporates also fund social initiatives. They may also be potential contributor to the project.

Once the project develops capacity building materials/training then some fees could be charged to those who are able to pay (for others, those will be free). This will also raise some funding.

Financial sustainability will be a key consideration from the beginning of the project and a plan will be developed in consultation with the communities as well as the government representatives. It will be decided what the communities and the government will carry forward when the project funding ends.

Although financial sustainability is critical, the project will contribute to behavioural sustainability also, which is not less important. The project will empower communities in identifying solutions and bring changes in treating children. Due to the bottom-up approach we expect the social norms changes will sustain.

Beyond the direct impact of violence on children, the financial cost to society of violence in childhood is staggering. However, investment to end violence against children is severely limited.

Throughout my professional life, I have experienced challenges due to lack of funding for Child Protection work. I could not design programs in a holistic way. Specific focus by funding agencies also meant that I was not able to develop and implement interventions that I considered to be most important, which were based on local realities. Elevate Prize will give me an opportunity to design a project that addresses the needs of local people in an effective way.

I would like to utilize my learning from long years of experience and bring meaningful changes at a large scale for the children of my home country Bangladesh. I am already working to create a website with my own funding (expected to be launched in August, 2020) to develop capacity and awareness of all concerned so that children can grow up properly and realize their potential.  In addition to sharing articles, videos, information on availability of services, research findings etc., the website will create a platform to generate a social conversation on children. Content of the website will be published through various social media channels. If I receive funding from Elevate Prize Foundation then I can strengthen the campaign and will also be able to engage in capacity building activities as well as national level advocacy on ending violence against children in Bangladesh.

During the project implementation, I would like to partner with the following:

• Child and human rights organizations and networks: Partnership has to be developed with child and human rights organizations to amplify the campaign on making violence against children socially unacceptable. The advocacy with the government on establishing a well-funded child protection system to prevent and respond to all forms of violence will also be strengthened if we partner with other organizations and networks.
• Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Labour and Employment: Partnering with key government ministries is critical for sustainability and achieving results at scale. The project will implement a pilot in two districts (Shariatpur and Sirajganj) to address violence in a coordinated way, and advocacy will be done with the government ministries for scaling up across Bangladesh.
• Children and youth organizations: Members of children and youth organizations will be able to identify the challenges faced by children, and propose effective solutions. 
• Tech (especially mobile phone) companies: Tech companies will contribute to protecting children online. 
• Print and electronic media: Media (newspapers, television channels, online portals) will play a critical role during the social awareness campaign on stop tolerating violence against children.
• Corporate: Bangladeshi corporates may contribute financially.