Experts said that addressing climate change is necessary to eliminate child marriage. They mentioned that the community of Cox’s Bazar Sea shore is a tool to prevent child marriage along with contributing to climate change by making toys by recycling the abandoned clothes of this area.
Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA), with the support of UNICEF, has conducted an innovative approach to prevent violence against children through the Handicrafts Initiative by addressing climate change.
The closing ceremony took place Tuesday in Cox Bazar, an area impacted by monsoons, cyclones, and floods.
The chief guest Muhammad Shaheen Imran, Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate said that the handicraft initiative is one of the great innovative programmes that help children make fun and skilled.
He said, “the eco-friendly toy-making programme is a tool to empower the community to prevent violation of child marriages by working on recycling.”
Doctor Elisa Calpona, child protection manager, said that rising sea levels, riverbank erosion, increased rainfalls, and monsoon and cyclones had affected the communities causing internal displacement and loss of livelihoods which makes children more vulnerable to violence and negative coping mechanisms like child marriage and child labor.
“A concerted action is required to ensure the drivers and root causes of child rights violations are tackled. UNICEF in partnership with the government of Bangladesh has proposed children become agents of social change and to work with their communities on recycling and sustainable interventions.” She shared that Bangladesh was ranked seventh on the list of countries most affected by climate-related hazards.
Calpona said, exacerbate pre-existing vulnerabale children are experiencing violence, trafficking, and abuse.
Addressing the root causes and empowering children and their communities remains instrumental. SM Latif, Joint Secretary, MoWCA chaired the event and he explained that during the past eight months, the government of Bangladesh with UNICEF support has developed capacity building on eco-friendly toy making.
Md. Raihanul Haque, Child Protection Officer, UNICEF Bangladesh said “Under the handicrafts training of trainers Over 15000 community facilitators mothers of 30 years of age and Peer leaders from the whole of Bangladesh have been empowered and they are cascading the sessions to over one million children and community members.