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N E W S I N B R I E F

To many outsiders one slum in Bangladesh is pretty much the same as another, but a closer look reveals that there are significant differences in living standards among those who live there.

Two slums at Duaripara in Dhaka - Bholar Bosti and Shahnewaz Bosti - are cases in point. The condition of Bholar Bosti is poor because it is inhabited by displaced migrants, whereas Shahnewaz Bosti is mostly occupied by garment workers and their families who in general are relatively better paid.

Tale of two slums in DuariparaBholar Bosti in Duaripara Kha block is a slum for the poorest of the poor. The two sides of Bholar Bosti are located on either side of a half-dried canal – contaminated by inky black water and clogged with polythene and garbage. The only link between the two sides of the slum is a single bamboo bridge.

Dark, narrow lanes and by-lanes snake through the area that houses around 200 families living in claustrophobic one-room shanties where even on a bright sunny day there is not a single ray of sunshine.

Plastic pipes run throughout the area, making the lanes muddy and dirty. There are pipes that supply water to the slum and to its shabby toilets, where the only privacy is provided by torn curtains which serve as makeshift doors.

There is a desperate need to reach children before it is too late and they get sucked into a world of child labour, child marriage and other forms of exploitation.

For some it is already too late. Mouful, a slum dweller in her late teens, is already a weak and frail mother of two – and despite her mother’s denials was probably married while still a child.

Nasima, aged nine, also appears to be missing out on an education. A shy girl, she spends her time carrying out household chores and fetching her younger brother from school.

On the contrary, Shahnewaz Bosti (slum) of the same area is different. The lanes are narrow but paved, and the surroundings are clean. The area has better water and sanitation facilities and clean, common cooking facilities. Children of pre-primary school age attend school.

Fatema, a girl of eight, is the daughter of Hasina who works at the local garments factory.

LOOKING AHEAD AMID HARDSHIPS

In Focus: Corporate partnerships and child rights This edition focuses on the initiatives undertaken through various corporate partnerships for the betterment of children in Bangladesh.

A single bamboo bridge links the two sides of Bholar Slum in Duaripara Mirpur.

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NewsletterUNICEF Bangladesh

www.unicef.org.bd

I s s u e 2 2 , J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

Continued on page 7

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I N T H I S I S S U E

Editor-in-Chief: Shima Islam

Editor: Arifa S. Sharmin

Editorial Contributor: Iftikhar Ahmed Chowdhury

Consultant: Alastair Tancred

Design & Layout: Syed Makhlesur Rahman

Photo Editor: Ahsanuzzaman Khan

Writers: Raffat Rashid, Kamrul Hasan Khan, Zahidul Hassan, Iftikhar Ahmed Chowdhury

C o n t e n t sIn Focus

chIldren’s rIghts and BusIness PrIncIPles ............ 3

a home away From home ........................................ 4

JoyFul learnIng For chIldren In tea gardens ......... 6

events ...........................................................

chIldren and natIonal Budget ................................ 8

meena medIa award 2012 ................................... 13

In the FIeld

Beauty In adversIty ............................................. 10

PlaudIts For the BIrth resIgtratIon success ........ 12

wIth thanks

euroPean unIon ................................................. 14

sPeak out

workIng chIldren talk aBout theIr dreams and hoPes ....................................... 15

news In BrIeF ............................................... 16

Q&A WITH UNICEF STAFF Mira Mitra Communication for Development Specialist

You are one of the longest serving female staff. What is your motivation behind continuing with UNICEF?

Though I joined UNICEF in August 1991, to me it seems that I joined only yesterday.

The most influential aspects of my career at UNICEF are the unique opportunities that I have been given to help improve the lives of children and women and the diverse nature of my work.

In the changing organisational context, how do you see your role?

UNICEF is a dynamic organisation. I keep myself professionally abreast of UNICEF’s priorities, so that I can contribute to the organisation. Being the Gender Focal Point, I pursue gender main streaming in all programmes.

How do you manage to balance between family and your profession?

When I joined UNICEF, two of my children were adolescents and the third was still young. As I lived in an extended family, my children had their grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins to support them. My husband, both our parents, and my extended family made my life manageable and fulfilling.

What changes would you like to see in UNICEF in the future?

I am pleased to see that we are further strengthening our field presence while maintaining an important footprint in Dhaka to influence policies and budgets, and take part in important coordination mechanisms. We still need to optimise this field presence to help identify critical bottlenecks impeding coverage of essential services for children, as well as finding innovative solutions to address negative social norms, such as child marriage. Each of us can make a difference and I remain committed to be a part of that. r

UNICEF is funded entirely through voluntary contributions. ‘Regular’ resources are unrestricted in their use, while ‘other’ resources are tied to specific programme funding. The top five government contributors to regular resources are the USA, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands and the UK. The staff and activities of the Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships section are supported by Regular Resources.

3I s s u e 2 2 I J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

The Children’s Rights and Business Principles identify a range of actions that all business should take to respect children’s rights – to prevent and address any adverse impact on children’s human rights, as well as measures all business are encouraged to take to help support and advance children’s rights. The document is a result of a joint partnership among Save the Children, UNICEF and the UN Global Compact.

It recognizes the tremendous positive power of businesses, large and small, and seeks to promote the best business practices. The principles call on the entire business community around the world to evaluate their impact on the rights of children; and to take action to make a difference for children.

Principles1 Meet their responsibility to respect children’s rights and commit to supporting the human rights of children

2 Contribute to the elimination of child labour, including in all business activities and business relationships

3 Provide decent work for young workers, parents and caregivers

4 Ensure the protection and safety of children in all business activities and facilities

5 Ensure that products and services are safe, and seek to support children’s rights through them

6 Use marketing and advertising that respect and support children’s rights

7 Respect and support children’s rights in relation to the environment and to land acquisition and use

8 Respect and support children’s rights in security arrangements

9 Help protect children affected by emergencies

10 Reinforce community and government efforts to protect and fulfil children’s rights

CHILDREN’S RIGHTS AND BUSINESS PRINCIPLES Children in an urban slum in Duaripara, Pallabi, Mirpur.

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I N F O C U S

Source: Children’s Rights and Business Principles, 2012

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A HOME AWAY FROM HOME The bantering, cries and laughter of children at the Day Care Centre in the Mirpur area of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka are not much different from any other child care facility found throughout the world.

But this facility is significantly different from similar centres elsewhere in the city. The working parents who drop off their children here are not office goers. Instead, they are garment workers, day labourers or house helps.

Nothing fancy but usefulThe scene inside is truly heart-warming. Children in torn and dirty clothes jostle for space amid babies who are still to reach their first birthday.

Some toddlers try to take a nap, some are crying while some are fizzing with energy and in full gear. Although it

is just like any other day care centre, a key difference is that this one is a little short of equipment. It has nothing fancy inside, with few decent toys.

The tiny space inside is sunlit and decorated with only the bare necessities - little wall paintings of ducks and fishes, a plastic rack to keep the brightly coloured but broken toys and a half-broken chest of drawers.

But despite these deprivations the place is clean, with two floor mattresses and a few pillows neatly laid down on purple coloured floral bedspread with a handful of brightly coloured plastic toys scattered around. Although the furniture may have seen better days, the cheerful noise of children at play soon dispels any sense of neglect.

The room’s occupants are mostly toddlers aged between 12 months to a maximum of four years old.

Shifat, clearly a favourite, is a cherubic child aged 18 months.

“My mother works over there,” he says pointing to the door in the direction of a garments factory while playing with his toy car.

The sole caretaker of the day centre, Lalmoti, explains that both of Shifat’s parents work - his father at a construction site and his mother in the garments factory.

“Shifat is their first-born and they have no-one to look after him. It is easier for them to drop him off here at the day care,” says Lalmoti.

The centre is housed inside a three-storied narrow building with a steep staircase and dark corridors.

Mothers keep food for children on a wooden table placed in a corner to have during lunch or their mid-day break.

The food is often simple - boiled rice and lentils or a small portion of an egg or fish curry. It is hardly the kind of sustenance that you expect for a one-year-old, but life for them does not revolve around what they are given to eat.

The reality for them is hard boiled rice that their working mother cooks at six in the morning before going to work.

Lalmoti: A caring granny Lalmoti is called ‘Granny’ by the children. She is a kind-hearted woman with a loving face and all of them are attached to her.

I N F O C U S

Toddlers at day care centre at Mirpur, Dhaka

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5I s s u e 2 2 I J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

She patiently addresses all their needs and demands throughout the day from 7:00am to 8:30pm.

“There are days when some mothers come in very late from work - around 10pm and they pay me a tip if they come way past closing time,” she says while busying herself with a quiet two-year-old child of latecomers.

Sakina, mother of a child, says that she wants her daughter to continue attending the centre even though she is currently without work.

“I had an accident and injured my hand, but I hope that I will resume work soon.

“I want my child to come here because I don’t want to disrupt her routine. I can vouch that I work with a lot less worries when I know my baby is in good care and not alone at home or roaming on the streets. It’s easier for me to concentrate at work if I know my child is secure and being taken care of,” says Sakina.

Shohan is the eldest among the 15 enrolled at the day care centre. He is four. “My mother used to work in a garments factory but now she works as a domestic help in people’s houses.

“I like coming here and playing with the toys. I don’t want to go to school now. But I think when I grow up I will go - but not now. I don’t like school now,” he says innocently.

His parents are from the low earning segment of the population and live in the slums where conditions are far from satisfactory.

A new hopeWith the support of UNICEF, partner organizations run the day care centre to provide support to working parents and ensure the safety of their children while they are at work.

The centre itself began operating in April. There are five similar centres in Mirpur, mostly catering for the children of garment workers near the densely populated slums where many reside. The centre operates six days a week except Friday.

Tamanna stands quietly and obediently by the day care centre’s door, her innocence and unassuming personality could win over even the most hardened of hearts.

Visitors to the centre find that it is almost impossible to ignore the engaging personality of Tamanna or the other children. Their right to a better life also cannot be ignored. r

I N F O C U S

One and half year old Shifat playing with his toy car at a day care centre at Mirpur, Dhaka.

The project is funded by the UK National Committee for UNICEF through one of their Communities Corporate Partner

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Underneath a tin-roofed building about 30 pre-school children, all aged around six; sit in a ‘u’ shape on a floor-mattress in a makeshift playroom. They cite in chorus the popular English lullaby, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

This pre-school is one of the 15 pre-primary learning centres in Mirtinga, Maulavi Bazar launched under the Early Learning for Child Development Project, a joint collaboration between UNICEF and the Government of Bangladesh.

The aim is to strengthen children’s cognitive, emotional and social development through a year-long programme.

The centres have rapidly become a major source of fulfilment to about 450 under-privileged children of tea garden workers. They play, sing, dance and learn how to be better prepared for primary school next year.

“The basic concept is joyful learning, this is a school preparedness programme,” says Debashis Ranjan Saha, Education Officer, UNICEF Bangladesh.

“Here at the pre-schools we make learning fun. Studies show that learning achievement and completion rates of the five-year primary school cycle is much higher among those who attend pre-schools.”

Learning is funSix year-old Shova Baraik found her pre-school fun, as the teacher never harmed her and she got “never-seen-before” toys and games.

“There are so many toys. We play games every day, but I also learn things as we play,” she said, looking resplendent in red and white.

Although severe typhoid almost blinded Shova when she was three - her left eye was damaged and she can barely see with the right - nothing could prevent her from joining pre-school. She even overcame the concerns of her parents, who initially discouraged her because of her disability.

“I saw my brother, Shyamol, studying after returning home. I heard stories about the school from him. Then I insisted that my parents should also send me to the school. I love to read rhymes and learn them by heart,” Shova says.

Shova’s classmate, Shiva Bauri, says that he likes physical exercise and drawing classes most of all.

Shova’s mother, Swapna Baraik, 30, has to work hard at the tea garden to earn a meagre living.

“My husband and I work hard all day long to earn a living for our four children, but still we cannot afford good food or clothes for them. So, we decided to educate our children,” she says.

Shova and Shiva - both want to continue their studies and pursue higher education in order to take up clerical jobs at government offices.

Other pre-school children have similar ambitions. It is an exceptional achievement considering that most are the first generation of this community to have received an education.

Making a differenceTea workers in Bangladesh come from some 30 different ethnic backgrounds, with many having their own mother tongue. They were originally brought to the Tea Estates from neighbouring Indian states by British companies.

A 2010 study for UNICEF found that about 74 per cent of households in tea gardens fall below the absolute poverty line. They have long been a disadvantaged, deprived and alienated group whose wellbeing is highly dependent on who owns and manages the tea gardens where they live and work.

The idea of setting up pre-schools and running them inside the tea gardens was not easy to execute. The Tea Estate management was sceptical, and some parents were not convinced there would be any benefits.

“A few years back the management was resistant; but nowadays the situation has improved, although many are still a bit reluctant,” says Debashis Saha.

I N F O C U S

Shova, 6, is led to a pre-school by her younger sibling at the Mirtinga Tea Estate in Maulavi Bazar, Sylhet.

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JOYFUL LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN TEA GARDENS

7I s s u e 2 2 I J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

LOOKING AHEAD AMID HARDSHIPS

There are more than160 tea gardens in Bangladesh, mostly in the north-east. With the support of UNICEF, the Shishu Academy under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs runs 159 pre-schools - 19 within tea gardens.

Traditionally, many tea garden children register as workers as early as five-year-old. But the growth of pre-schools is evidence that this cycle is at last being broken.

Climbing up the golden stairsOne frequently cited reason for denying an education to the children of tea garden workers is the fear that it may result in more unrest over their rights.

But Mirtinga Tea Estate Manager Sujit Kumar Pintu stands out against this attitude, arguing that under-privileged children should never be treated so callously.

“We believe education is for all. We believe that educated workers are better for the tea industry than the ignorant ones,” he says. “The long standing mind-set is now

changing and more and more schools are now being set up at tea gardens.”

There are some 800 workers and many temporary labourers at Mirtinga Tea Estate, with a population of 6,000.

“We have more and more workers asking us to set up more pre-schools. This is no doubt a positive trend,” says Pintu.

As the pre-school at the Mirtinga breaks up for the day, children climb the concrete stairs up the slope adjoining the school on their way home.

Watching Shova, Shiva and other pupils begin their ascent, teacher Sudwip Ranjan Dhar is not exaggerating when he says that the children “are climbing up golden stairs to a better future”. r

I N F O C U S

Fatema’s father Minazul Munshi, in his 60s, looks after the children while her mother works.

“Hasina works long gruelling hours but she ensures that her children eat well, are properly clothed and go to school,” he says.

Fatema is by no means the only child whose parents have made sacrifices so that their children can be educated.

Her classmate, Nooruddin, is also a happy child at school and a keen learner. Nooruddin’s father works at the same garments factory as Fatema’s mother.

“I come to school every day, when my mother comes to visit, she sometimes asks me what I learnt today. When I can say a new rhyme she kisses me,” Fatema says proudly.

Fatema’s friends - girls like Seema, Ripa, Deepa, Khadiza and boys like Nooruddin are given positions of leadership at school and are already leaders in the making. They are all confident, eager to learn and do not shy away from anything.

Towards a decent future“The cash transfer initiative provides support to 400 children from Duaripara alone and their families receive Taka 2,000 (US$25) per month, in three instalments by cheque for up to 18 months initially, based on progress and need. Children are also referred to appropriate services such as health and hygiene facilities, pre-schools, formal schools, and recreational activities,” says Sharmin Akhter, social worker recruited by the government and stationed at Duaripara.

This will ensure that the parents are not only giving them food and clothing but are also sending them to school.

The four social workers from the government are working in Duaripara to follow up and report every month.

“If any family fails to use the money for an income-generating activity, does not send their children to school for three months or sends them to work instead, their cash transfer is cancelled and given to a more deserving family,” Sharmin says.

In addition, children aged between 14 and 18, particularly those who are continuing their studies or vocational training receive Taka 15,000 ($188) as an one-time stipend. The scheme is particularly targeted towards containing early marriages, encouraging education and empowering adolescent girls.

Nasima has been selected for the cash transfer initiative. Her father is dead and her mother is a domestic help.

“Since my mother goes to work I have to do household chores. Only my younger brother goes to Model High School, a government school, and my mother has to pay Taka 100 (USD 1.25) as tuition fee.

“But she cannot afford an education for my siblings or me. I am looking forward to going to school as the social worker has listed my name. As soon as my mother receives money, I will attend school,” Nasima says.

Although there is a distinctive line between the two urban slums in Duaripara, today thankfully children in both areas can look forward to receiving an education that will allow them to change their lives and improve their living conditions. r

Continued from page 1

The project is funded by the Global Thematic Fund for Education

The project is funded by the UK National Committee for UNICEF through one of their Communities Corporate Partner

U N I C E F B a n g l a d e s h N e w s l e t t e r8

E V E N T

The Government of Bangladesh has to protect education, health and nutrition budgets - regardless of the national and global economic environment - to realise its goal of becoming a middle income country by 2021.

The call was made at the Children and National Budget: An analysis of Education, Health and Nutrition Sectors seminar in December, organised by Unnayan Shamannay and UNICEF Bangladesh.

Researcher Mahfuz Kabir, a Consultant at Unnayan Shamannay and Senior Research Fellow of the Bangladesh Institute of Strategic Studies (BISS) presented the keynote paper. Chaired by Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, Chairman, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, members of parliament and civil society as well as leading economists participated in the subsequent discussion.

Highlights of DiscussionPascal Villeneuve Representative, UNICEF Bangladesh

“It is time to ring fence key social sector budgets for nutrition, health, education and child protection to grow proportionately to overall economic growth. This should not be lower than a minimum

ceiling to sustain investments and gains of the past years. It should be rectified through a combined mechanism of fiscal, macroeconomic and microeconomics means that is focused on the rights of the most deprived, especially children”.

Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman Executive Chairman, Power and Participation Research Center & former Advisor, Caretaker Government

“Child malnutrition and school dropout are two major issues that need to be addressed. The government should allocate more resources to these sectors, particularly to reduce the number of dropouts from primary and secondary schools, malnutrition and

inequality between children from poor and rich families.”

Dr. Mustafa K. Mujeri Director General, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies

“Budgetary allocation for education should be increased to at least five to six per cent of GDP

in the coming years. Currently it is only two per cent. In the primary education budget, 97 per cent of revenue is spent on salary related expenditure. At secondary level, this ratio is more than 80 per cent.”

Ms Rasheda K Choudhury Executive Director, CAMPE & former Advisor, Caretaker Government

“Inequality, inefficiency and lack of good governance are the major bottlenecks in executing and implementing the budget allocation meant for the welfare of children. Policy makers need to pay more attention to the content of the budget, strengthen the local government and ensure good governance.”

DELEGATES CALL FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN CHILDRENKey Findings

• Bangladesh, like other developing countries, is too preoccupied by macroeconomic issues such as generating higher growth (GDP), controlling inflation, foreign reserves and debt.

• There is less dialogue on ensuring in practice that the purpose of economic growth is to narrow the equity gap through equity-focused policies, strategies and budget.

• The share of the education sector budget as a percentage of total government budget is decreasing. The education sector budget (11.16 per cent in 2012-2013) - as a percentage of the national budget - is slightly lower than money earmarked for public administration (12.6 per cent).

• Despite a positive growth in the national budget, the ratio over the years of the education budget to GDP has remained static at around two per cent.

• Likewise, relative to the growth of the national budget, the money allocated to health has decreased over the last three fiscal years from 2010-11 to 2012-13. The share of total government budget allocated to the health sector has decreased from 5.7 per cent in FY 2008-09 to 4.9 per cent in FY 2012-13 and has remained static at 0.9 per cent of GDP over the last three fiscal years from 2010-11 to 2012-13.

• Notable progress has been achieved in poverty reduction over the last seven years. However, child malnutrition remains very high and impacts negatively on the productivity of investments aimed at improving human capital such as health and education budgets. Public spending on poverty alleviation programmes has failed to reduce child malnutrition.

CHILDREN & NATIONAL BUDGET

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O N F I L M

Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, Economist and former Advisor, Caretaker Government

“Affluent people in society should help improve the quality of education and its development in the country by forming an Education Trust involving honest, credible and philanthropic

citizens. The trust would collect donations and allocate funds among schools to improve teaching. People who donate should get tax breaks and other recognitions.”

Dr Zafar Ullah Chowdhury Trustee, Ganashasthya Kendra (Local NGO)

“Active, effective and efficient local government is a precondition to ensure the quality of health and education. Lack of well trained and motivated teachers is a major obstacle to quality education.”

Ms Rawshan Jahan Shathi Member of Parliament

“Proper and effective planning is being hindered due to frequent changes of government staff. It is important to pay special attention to the situation of the education sector in disaster-prone areas.”

Mozammel Haque Khan Secretary, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Ministry of Planning

“The key thing is not just the allocation of budget; rather, the management and the proper utilization of budget with accountability.”

Md Humayun Kabir Senior Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

“The target of infant mortality rate is on track, which can be achieved before (the MDG deadline) 2015. But if we consider the sub-targets, it is lagging behind when it comes to the reduction of neonatal mortality. The health sector budget has declined to 0.8 per cent in last four years in relation to GDP.”

Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam Secretary-in-Charge, Ministry of Planning

“The government should increase spending on education, health, nutrition and other related sectors, focusing on sustainable social and economic development of children.”

DELEGATES CALL FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN

Recommendations• Broad national targets are set in the Medium Term

Budgetary Framework (MTBF). There is scope to make the MTBF more “child-friendly” by making more visible evidence-based linkages between projected expenditures and human capital outcomes in critical areas such as maternal and child health, education and child malnutrition.

• A Framework for Child Friendly Budgeting should be pursued and adopted into the fiscal accountability charter of the country.

• Promote efficiency gains by reviewing Social Safety Net programmes to create evidenced-based child sensitive, life cycle approach to social protection; to close the equity gap in the education sector and take lessons into other social services programmes.

• Budgetary allocation for education should be increased from two per cent to at least five to six per cent of GDP.

• Decentralized monitoring of supply and demand bottlenecks should be scaled-up as an effective way to improve effective use of social sector budgets.

• For the nutrition sector, direct nutrition interventions such as infant and young child feeding, micronutrient supplementation and management of acute malnutrition should be budgeted and implemented at scale.

• The role of local government should be enhanced with more fiscal responsibility and accountability for reducing social deprivations affecting children.

• A National Education Trust Fund should be formed by motivating honest, credible and philanthropic citizens through proper tax incentives.

• Options for more inclusive budgets and social protection schemes to care for children with disabilities should be developed. r

CHILDREN & NATIONAL BUDGETAn analysis of Education, Health & Nutrition Sectors

Continued on page 11

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I N T H E F I E L D

A beautiful girl, her loose long hair shades part of her face as she stoops over her sewing machine to adjust the settings. From afar she is just an ordinary girl with a pretty face but as you go closer, you can see how she has been cruelly disfigured.

Phoenix rising from the ashesAyesha Akter, 26, was only a student of class seven when her maternal uncle threw acid at her face and distorted it forever. Her father had not given his consent to her uncle’s proposal to marry Ayesha to a maternal relative, thereby foiling his plans to get his hands on their property. Acid was his revenge.

She looks straight into your eyes and tells her story with no regret. Sympathy is the last thing she needs or wants.

“If you believe in destiny, then this was written in my fate and there is nothing anyone could do to change it,” Ayesha reflects.

She went to the Acid Survivor’s Foundation (ASF) three days after her accident in 2000 and undertook countless operations in addition to counselling, rehabilitation sessions and court cases.

“After my accident I met a lot of people - and I can tell you not everyone was kind, but this is my reality. I do not want to sit at home and live on others’ pity as the girl who was burnt; instead I want to live life to the full.

“I am happy and content with where life has brought me now. I have a beautiful four-year-old daughter who is the apple of my eye, a husband who loves me and in-laws who accept me,” she says.

The sheer agony of living with a burnt body and a disfigured face has given Ayesha a tough inner strength. She literally rose from the ashes of her burnt childhood dream of being a teacher to now making ‘pressure garments’ for burn victims.

Of cruelty and braveryBeauty was aged only thirteen when she got married and was victimised by her in-laws, a pattern of cruelty that culminated in her permanent disfigurement.

“My husband and in-laws tortured me as I did not understand the ways of marriage or do housework properly. I was a victim of domestic violence and was regularly abused both physically and verbally.

“After three years of tolerating this, I gave birth to a girl and that made my husband even more abusive - he did not want a girl. My in-laws and my husband even abused my family, so I got a divorce when I was seventeen.

“Strangely, after the divorce my ex-husband did not leave me alone. He continued to pester me and my daughter. I filed a case at the local police station and he got even angrier saying that no-one can save me from him.

“I took shelter in my aunt’s house. One night, when I went to the outhouse he attacked me and poured acid on my face. Instantly my left eye swelled.

“I just ran across the yard, my only thought was I must pour water on myself. I fell many times while running and then fortunately fell into a pond - for which my facial distortion is much less serious, but I lost my left eye forever,” she recounts.

Ayesha and Beauty may be victims in name and definition, but their response to such a debilitating crisis shows them to be no less than heroines.

Asma’s story is no less inspiring or less heart-breaking - not only for the cruelty to which she was exposed, but also for her bravery and positive response in the face of untold hardships.

“I was working as a domestic help when I was only 10-year-old and was later working in the garments factory when I was married off. But my husband divorced me and sent me home.

“Later, my father wanted to divide his meagre property between his four daughters as he had no son. He wanted to sort things out for his daughters because after his death - according to Muslim law - my paternal uncle will get my father’s share and we would be left with nothing.

BEAUTY IN ADVERSITY

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Ayesha Akhter, 26, works on making ‘pressure garments’ for burn victims at the Acid Survivors Foundation, ASF in Dhaka.

11I s s u e 2 2 I J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

“My husband realised that he missed an opportunity to grab my share and so he attacked me to foil my father’s plan. Now, we sisters have nothing because all our money and property were spent in fighting the court case,” Asma laments. Yet despite her past suffering, Asma is looking forward to completing her tailoring course and getting a better job.

A way out: Living with dignityThe ASF tailoring project trains survivors in dress making. Their products are then displayed in exhibitions and bazaars. Currently, there are two survivors working in the Tailoring Project.

Meanwhile, the ASF’s catering project run by survivors supplies three meals a day to the ASF Hospital. The

hospital also avails services from the catering project for the doctors performing surgery. Currently, five acid survivors are working in the project on a regular basis with one survivor working on a casual basis.

Ayesha draws a salary of Tk.7,800 (US$ 95) while her fellow survivors Shahana Begum and Asma, earn Tk.6,700 (US$ 80) and Tk.4,400 (US$ 55) respectively.

Ayesha, Ashma and Beauty - for whom living life was a battle a few years back – are confident and eager to put an end to the past and move forward like many other girls who are receiving support from ASF. r

I N T H E F I E L D

Mosharaf Hossain Country Representative, Action on Disability and Development (Local NGO)

“Bangladesh has achieved 99.7 per cent enrolment. However disability is included neither in the Millennium Development Goals nor in Bangladesh’s

development practice. Only four per cent of children with disabilities are included in school. Ninety per cent of children with disabilities are not enrolled, which is a national scandal.”

Choudhury Md Tayub Save the Children

“Introduce a separate child focused framework to track the actual status of budget allocation for children and publish an annual performance report to assess the quality of spending.”

The project is funded by German National Committee for UNICEF

DELEGATES CALL FOR MORE INVESTMENT IN CHILDREN

Funded by UNICEF’s Regular Resources

Continued from page 9

Ayesha Akter, 26, takes a break from her work of making ‘pressure garments’ for burn victims by playing with her daughter Neki, 4, at the Acid Survivors Foundation.

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I N T H E F I E L D

Housewife Sulekha Paul, 23, initially had no idea about the benefits of registering her child’s birth. She was not aware that without this vital paperwork her young daughter’s future rights could be seriously impeded, with access to school, healthcare and future employment.

Sulekha, from the Mirtinga Tea Estate in the north-eastern Maulavi Bazar district, saw her neighbours registering their children for school admission but she had no idea about the necessity of this vital piece of paper until she tried to register her own daughter for school in early 2012.

It was only when a school teacher explained to her about the importance of birth registration that she realised it was imperative for four-year-old Senjuti’s future protection.

She was strongly persuaded about the necessity of getting a certificate. “I was told that the birth registration certificate was essential for taking admission at school, but what excited me most was recording my child’s birth so that I can help protect her from child marriage and child labour,” says Sulekha.

A child’s first document“Birth registration gives a child visibility to the authorities, helping them to have a more accurate number of children in the country for national planning, monitoring and evaluation of economic and social development,” says

AKM Saiful Islam Chowdhury, Project Director, Birth Registration.

Birth certificates not only prevent child marriage and child labour, but also play a vital role as a legal identity in stopping other evils including trafficking, underage criminal prosecutions and other forms of child abuse.

Under a recent government legislation, a person with a birth certificate gets access to 16 essential services including as school and university admission, marriage recognition and passports for foreign travel.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2009, birth registration of children under the age of five has increased from 10 per cent in 2006 to 53 per cent in 2009.

With the support of UNICEF, the government has replaced manual registration of births with a computerized system known as Online Birth Registration Information System (BRIS). The system is linking to more than 5,000 registration centres based in unions, municipalities, city corporations, cantonments and embassies abroad. To date, more than 56 million birth records have been captured in the system.

By June 2013, all birth information will be recorded through the online system, which will serve as a basic database for other services including monitoring, planning and health service delivery. In addition, it will be used by the Election Commission for voter identification cards.

“The focus of the programme has now shifted to registering the birth of newborns within 45 days of birth by linking with the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI). It will accelerate the progress and make the overall system more sustainable and functional”, says UNICEF Bangladesh Child Protection Specialist, Aminul Islam.

Challenges aheadEnsuring birth registration of children is particularly challenging for the tea gardens. There are more than 160 tea gardens and about 360,000 people depend on the tea industry for their livelihood.

Lack of coordination among the Local Government Division, EPI department and Tea Estate authorities poses a huge challenge to bring children under the universal birth registration system in the garden areas.

The hope is that EPI workers and the birth registrars can work together to create a properly functioning birth registration system that will benefit everybody. Given the progress made so far, that is by no means an impossible dream. r

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Shenjuti holding her birth registration certificate at Mirtinga Tea Estate in Maulavi Bazar, Sylhet .

PLAUDITS FOR BIRTH REGISTRATION SUCCESS

The project is funded by the Global Thematic Fund for Protection

13I s s u e 2 2 I J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

E V E N T S

The 8th Meena Media Award honoured 32 journalists, writers and programme producers for their outstanding contribution to children’s issues in the print and broadcast media in Bangladesh in the past year.

The award ceremony was made more colourful by the presence of traditional drummers and the iconic animation characters Meena, Raju and Mithu who helped usher guests and excited children. When Meena announced the nominees, Mithu (the parrot) was only too eager to help out by mimicking her words.

The presence of the Minster of Information Hasanul Haq Inu and UNICEF’s Child Rights Advocate, famous magician Jewel Aich along with UNICEF’s representative Pascal Villeneuve at the award giving ceremony added enthusiasm among the audience.

For Zubair, the winner of first prize in Print Media (Creative) in the under-18 category for his heart-warming story entitled Red Dress, it was a proud moment.

“I live in Bogra. I have an exam tomorrow, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to come to this inspiring award giving ceremony,” he said proudly holding his award and certificate.

“I didn’t know I would win the first prize. It means the world to me.”

Fayej Belal won first prize in the Broadcast Media, Television (Creative) Under-18 category for his work entitled ‘Headphone’. It describes the sad end of a boy who was run over while crossing a road with music blaring in full volume on his headphones.

“This incident is taken from an actual account where the boy was walking on the rail track and was killed by a train – since there are no trains in Barisal, a southern district town in Bangladesh, I enacted the scene with cars,” Fayej says.

UNICEF representative Pascal Villeneuve says that the awards celebrate excellence in creative media and journalism to promote child rights in Bangladesh.

“Because through their work they have raised the voices of voiceless children, which is the main spirit of the Meena Media Award - advancing child rights in media,” he says.

The eight expert judges from literature, journalism, academia, film and documentary sectors assessed around 500 entries to select winners in each category for this year’s awards. The transparent selection process - and the fact that it attracted so many participants - was also a significant success. r

MEENA MEDIA AWARD 2012: CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN CHILD RIGHTS’ WORK

Shahnaz Sharmeen won first prize for her radio report on children living on the streets and drug abuse. She brought the children at the award ceremony with her who were the subject of her report.

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The European Union (EU) is among the three biggest donors to Bangladesh. The European Commission (EC) is the second largest EU donor to Bangladesh, with €403m allocated under the Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for 2007-13. The CSP sets out the following priorities for assistance: health, education, good governance and human rights, economic and trade development, disaster management and food security.

UNICEF has established a fruitful partnership with the EU in Bangladesh to ensure the realisation of women’s and children’s rights. The EU is one of the major donors to UNICEF Bangladesh and received support from EU to implement important programmes such as birth registration and adolescent and community development. Currently, UNICEF Bangladesh is implementing a major EU-UNICEF initiative to promote nutrition security in the Asia region and Support to Third Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-3).

EU–UNICEF initiative: Maternal and Young Child Nutrition Security Initiative in Asia (MYCNSIA)

The EU and UNICEF have launched the Maternal and Young Child Nutrition Security Initiative in Asia (MYCNSIA) to help fight the widespread and growing problem of under-nutrition in south-east and south Asia and to improve nutrition security among women and young children in the region.

The MYCSNIA initiative is supported by five Asian countries – Bangladesh, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Nepal and the Philippines – under a four year programme.

Bangladesh has received US$ 8 million for the period of 2011-2014 for the reduction of anaemia, stunting and acute malnutrition among children in Bangladesh. The initiative will cover 492,591 beneficiaries, among them 326,614 under three year old children and 98,518 pregnant and lactating women.

Area coverage: Twenty one upazilas from nine districts (out of 64 districts in the country) have been selected for the initiative which started in 2011.

Partnerships: The project is being implemented in partnership with the Government’s Director General of Family Planning Office, National Nutrition Services and partner organisations (ICDDR,B, CARE, Terre des Hommes, Muslim Aid, Shushilan). Support to Third Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP3)

UNICEF and the EU have teamed up to support the Government of Bangladesh in the establishment of an efficient, inclusive, and equitable primary education system delivering child-friendly quality learning to all Bangladesh’s children from pre-primary up to Grade V.

Through the partnership, the EU has given US$ 3.5 million to UNICEF for four years (2012-2016) for the Third Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP3), which covers Grades I to V with one year of pre-primary education.

The financial contribution received from the EU will be used by UNICEF as technical assistance for capacity building under PEDP3 and will cover a number of aspects like children’s’ learning (Each Child Learns); Teacher Education and Development; Alternative and Second Chance Education; Pre-Primary Education; Education in Emergencies; and Decentralized School Management and Governance.

The UNICEF-EU partnership will contribute to the strengthening of the capacity of government institutions so that the investment in primary education can improve delivery, enhance quality and reduce disparity. r

THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU)

W I T H T H A N K S

A mother feeds her child a specially prepared mix for malnourished children after adding MMP powder in a Nutrition Centre at Sunamganj District. Photo: UNICEF/Noorani

15I s s u e 2 2 I J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3

S P E A K O U T

Working children talk about their dreams and hopes

“I work in a plastic manufacturing factory, where I make Tk 2,500 (US$ 31) a month. My father is terminally ill, so I have to work to support my mother and sister. When I grow up I would like to become an engineer.”Shumon, 14

“I work in a leather goods store where wallets, belts and other products are made. My only dream is to find my parents one day and be able to take care of them.”Sohel, 13

“I work in a garments factory where my job is to cut thread. When I grow up, I want to become a tailor.”Kalpana, 16

“I work as a florist, and I am also studying in grade VIII. I would like to become a social worker and help children living on the streets establish themselves in life.”Akhi, 13

“I work as a beautician at a local salon. I go to school, and I just completed grade VIII. One day, I would like to become an electrical engineer.” Rohina, 13

“I am working as an apprentice at a hair

salon. My mother and brother need

my financial support because we are poor.

When I grow up I want to be a cricket player.”

Raju, 13

“I work as a salesman at a lighting store, because I need money for my expenses. In the future, I want to go abroad and work as an engineer in the automobile industry.” Osman, 14

“ I work in a hair salon. When I grow up I want to be a dance choreographer. I would also like to be the owner of my own business.”Jalal, 15

Kalpana

Akhi

Shumon

Raju

Sohel

Osman

Rohina

Jalal

Photographs: UNICEF/2012/Ahsan Khan

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3Cricket Hero Joins Hand to Raise Awareness on HIV and AIDS

How do you do disseminate an important message about the dangers of HIV and AIDS to young men in a conservative Muslim country where such issues can sometimes be a taboo? The answer is in Bangladesh, it seems, may well be through cricket.

That is why national cricket icon Shakib Al Hasan is spearheading the Think Wise campaign. It calls for youth-friendly and age-specific HIV awareness and services across the country so that young people can be better protected against the deadly virus and likewise encourage others to do the same.

“When young people receive correct, complete information about HIV and AIDS, they gain the power to make informed decisions,” Shakib says ahead of the World T20 (WT20) Cricket Championships which was held in Sri Lanka in September.

“They also acquire the tools to reverse misconceptions and social stigmas. Cricket can be a vital tool to fight against ignorance, social stigma and discrimination.”

Shakib points out that the South Asia region in particular is in danger of the HIV and AIDS menace because it has a disproportionate level of ignorance about the illness.

The renowned cricketer was appointed the Think Wise spokesperson for Bangladesh by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in November 2010. In addition to raising awareness about the disease, it aims to stop young people from being infected in the first place.

The Think Wise initiative builds on a long-term partnership between the ICC, the joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), UNICEF and the Global Media AIDS Initiative (GMAI) that aims to reach out to the global cricketing fraternity to form a collective response to the crisis.

1UNICEF and BDNews24 tie up to launch Children’s News Service

UNICEF and a Bangladeshi news website, BDNews24 have launched a Children’s News Service focusing on issues and causes affecting millions of children in the country. The initiative is aimed at giving opportunities for children by training them as journalists, up to the age of 18, so that their views and aspirations can find a place in mainstream media.

Selected children in 20 priority districts across Bangladesh will be trained in basic journalism skills. They will contribute to mainstream media under the guidance of senior journalists. Their reports, mostly in Bengali, will be distributed to all the media outlets in the country, while important news items will be translated into English.

To subscribe or unsubscribe to this newsletter, or to send comments to the editor, please email: infobangladesh@unicef.org

UNICEF BangladeshBSL Office Complex, 1, Minto Road, Dhaka 1000Bangladesh

For more informationabout UNICEF Bangladesh,

or to download this newsletter, please visit:

www.unicef.org.bd

2Children Celebrate “the OneMinutesJr.” Festival

A two-day-long “the OneMinutesJr.” Film Festival ends with a call to creating space for children in the mainstream media. Organized by the Children’s Television Foundation the festival brought 80 children from four districts of Bangladesh who have received training on making one minute videos with the support of UNICEF.

A total of 80 one minute films were screened, which were made by workshop participants from Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur. The participants were selected from UNICEF-supported projects. Apart from them, children along with their parents from different schools of Dhaka participated in the festival.

Starting on 10 January, the festival sessions were divided into three different sessions such as concept development and script writing, camera and story board, and children in advertisements.

The winners of different categories were announced and awarded at the closing ceremony held on 12 January.

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