Editorial
National child policy a positive move
Only stringent implementation will ensure its success
The draft National Child Policy 2010 makes much sense given the realities attendant on the conditions of Bangladesh's children in the last many decades. Children in this country have generally been at the losing end of any meaningful deal, especially in terms of policy and governance. Besides, even if there have been moves to ensure the welfare of children, few if any follow-up measures, such as implementation, have come into play. This truth is borne out by the pitiful conditions in which children at the ultra-poor level continue to live, with little access to health safety measures and education.
The new policy should be going a long way in reassuring our children, particularly those from the poorest of families, that the state is in a position to guarantee them all the rights and privileges they have by and large been deprived of so far. Take, as a first point, the stipulation that children employed in households will have a weekly day off. That is indeed a helpful suggestion, but its implementation will require constant monitoring by the authorities. Of course there is a provision for an ombudsman to oversee implementation of the policy. But with the ombudsman must come the necessary staff and paraphernalia to make sure that such a policy does not stay confined to a mouthing of good phrases. With as much as 45 per cent of the population being children, it is critically important that the thrust of all development policies be directed at them. The traditionalist mode of planning will have to be jettisoned making room for innovative approaches.
There is, first, the recognition that a child is anyone below 18 years of age. That not only corrects the flaws of the 1994 policy on children but also brings the country on a par with other nations around the world. That the government is contemplating providing free health services and education to ultra poor children is a remarkable move. Playgrounds in schools, access to entertainment and games, day care services for children in prison with their mothers and a guarantee of full, uninterrupted health facilities may sound like idealism at this point.
Obviously, the objectives set out in the draft policy are wide-ranging ones and are a clear recognition of the difficulties children have been going through in Bangladesh. But how to overcome resource constraints and mobilise fresh infusion of resources in a bid to implement all the salient features of the policy together with additions if any, should engage the attention of all concerned. And with that in view the draft policy may be placed for public debate.
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