Use of children in violent political programmes raises concern

In the recent shutdowns, enforced by the BNP-led opposition alliance and Jamaat-e-Islami, the presence of children was visible in different parts of the country. In most cases, the children were kept in the dark about their joining violent agitation programmes.

According to the video footages shown by the electronic media and press photos, the presence of children was much more noticeable in the latest showdown staged by Hefajat-e-Islam and their clashes with police in the capital.

Sources in a number of Qaumi madrasahs said the children who joined the Hefajat rally from different madrasas and ultimately left abandoned during the police drive were, in fact, unaware where they had been taken to.

“This is a matter of serious concern. We need joint efforts to take effective measures to keep children out of violent politics,” Mable Sivea Rodrigues, Manager, Civil Society, Save the Children told UNB on Friday.

She said not that all children are joining such political programmes. “In recent days, madrasah students are mostly being used. “There’s no monitoring in madrasahs. Even we don’t have access to them. The government should monitor madrasahs strongly.”

Rodrigues said it is horrifying that children are being used in the frontline of clashes. “It should be stopped right now. The government has a greater role to save the children.”

A number of ministers, including Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, have expressed concern and criticised those who are using children in political programmes.

An official at the Women and Children Affairs Ministry said they advised the guardians to remain careful about their children so that they cannot get involved in political programmes.

Talking to UNB, a director of SOS Children’s Village Bangladesh, preferring anonymity said, “It’s nothing but abusing children. No political party should involve children in such destructive activities.”

He said the government should launch massive awareness programmes for both the guardians and their children so that the children can be kept out of political use. “Children don’t understand politics. As guardians, we also need to persuade them that they shouldn’t join political programmes.”

Earlier, Unicef expressed concern over the use of children for political purposes and urged all political parties in Bangladesh to refrain from using children for those purposes and ensure that children are protected from all possible violence.

“The use of children for political gain must be stopped,” said Unicef Representative Pascal Villeneuve.

“Unicef is alarmed to see that children have been in the forefront of recent demonstrations held by political parties in Bangladesh. Over the past few weeks, hartals (general strikes) and demonstrations have been called by various parties as a means to voice their demands,” Pascal said.

Bangladesh is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC), which states that children have to be protected “from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation”.

There is also a clear provision in the country’s National Children’s Policy 2011 that “children cannot be used in political activities, neither could they be lured nor compelled to be involved in such activities.