Working children want social recognition

Over 700 working children of 31 different professions participated in the rally jointly organised by Save the Children-UK and Solidarity, a local development organisation.

Kurigram deputy commissioner (DC) Md Azizur Rahman Mollah was present at the rally as the chief guest.

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The working children placed their five-point demand in the rally. The demands included right to formal education, right to healthcare facilities, savings opportunity, sympathetic hearing to their problems and a healthy working environment in their places of work.

They also urged their employers to take steps to improve their working condition while employers' representatives present at the rally assured to improve the same. The employers further assured to provide educational facilities to them.

While addressing, the DC assured the working children that the district administration would seriously consider to listen and solve their issues. He gave an announcement to organise a workshop involving all responsible district-level government officials in near future to find out a solution to the problems.

Other speakers have stressed the need for participation of all to solve working children's issues. They reminded the government agencies of their role in circulating their issues all over and come out with a possible solution from suggestions of the concerned persons.

Among others, Kurigram Pourosava chairman Abu Bakar Siddiqui, former minister AKM Mayeedul Islam, chief of Poverty and Working Children's Project of Save the Children UK Lamia Rashid and chief of Justice and Violence Programme, Save the Children-UK U M Habibunnesa addressed the rally.

Apart from children, their employers, local administration officials, representatives of political parties and NGO officials participated in the rally.

Mahfuza Haque Lulu and Rafiqul Islam Sarkar of the Save the Children, UK conducted the programme.