NCTF, CBF Place 6-point Demand

National Children’s Task Force (NCTF) and Child Budget Forum (CBF) Saturday placed a six-point demand, including a clear roadmap on budgetary allocation to children and inclusion of their opinions in preparing the national budget.

They also demanded ensuring proper utilisation of the allocated funds, implementation of the child budget and fulfilment of the promises made by Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his budget speech last year.The two non-governmental organisations working in Bangladesh to promote child rights made the demands at a joint press conference held at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).

Parliamentary standing committee member on primary and mass education Umme Razia Kajol, Dhaka University teacher Gawher Nayeem Wahra, CBF Chairperson Dr Abul Hossain and Save the Children’s representative Chowdhury Md. Tayub Tajammul were, among others, present at the press briefing.NCTF’s representative Tanjila Sumi read out a keynote paper at the conference.The two organisations also demanded ensuring safety and security of the street children and regular publication of performance report on child spending. Ms Kajol said they would talk to the ministry concerned about the demands made by the NGOs and raise these issues at the parliament too.”It’s a high time to make this important issue public as the Awami League-led administration is very child-friendly.”

She also stressed the importance of ensuring utilisation of the government funds in the sector and strong monitoring on the activities of fake NGOs which are doing business in the name of voluntary work in the country.”NGOs in the country must be accountable to the public as they receive funds from donors at home and abroad in the name of the public,” she added.Mr Wahra said the children events don’t derive benefits from the government’s social safety-net funds which are allocated only to adults.Mr Tajammul said although the government allocates money for development of the child group, but it hardly makes any roadmap on how to spend the money.

CBF chairperson Mr Hossain said even though the concept of child budget is new in Bangladesh, it is gaining ground among the people as around 40 per cent of the country’s population is children.

Source: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/04/19/89391