Most of Bangladeshi children do not get social identity: Unicef

Unicef's Representative in Bangladesh Louis Georges Arsenault revealed this at the launching ceremony of the Unicef's annual flagship publication 'The State of the World's Children 2006: Excluded and Invisible' at the National Press Club in the city yesterday.

"About 50 million children could not fulfil their basic needs due to lack of birth registration," said the report published simultaneously across the globe.

Unicef Executive Director Ann M Veneman, who presided over the global launching in London, said: Meeting the Millennium Development Goals depends on reaching vulnerable children throughout the developing world.

Launching report here, the Unicef's Representative urged national leaders to step up efforts for the children most in need the poorest and most vulnerable, the exploited and the abused.

"This is a critical juncture. We have 10 years left and if we are truly to meet the MDGs, then we have to reach these invisible and excluded children," said Arsenault. "Bangladesh has made some great strides in the past 30 years but the next 10 years will be equally important."

Arsenault said about 132,000 children work as domestic help in the capital city, Dhaka while 8.4 million children are working as child labour across the globe.

"Almost two-third of adolescents aged between 10 and 19 years are getting married and devoid of different social opportunities, including education," he added.

The Unicef representative said about three lakh indigenous children live in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Sylhet regions do not get education. The Unicef has been working for these deprived children.

"About 12 lakh children are being trafficked directly or indirectly to other countries and a significant portion of them are forced to work as sex workers, maids and child labour," he added.

In the launching ceremony, three child labours Fatema, Fahima and Alam narrated their ordeals.