Third and Fourth Periodic Report on CRC - Unicef

Convention on the Rights of the Child
Two major Networks of NGOs in the country also facilitate organizing children through their partners <strong>and</strong>
affiliated organizations involved in promoting child rights <strong>and</strong> their welfare. There are several similar
organizations involved in promoting children's association <strong>and</strong> their rights, organize children rally, socio-cultural
activities, observing special day.
During the period 2001-2005, a UNICEF-supported project increased the life choices of 50,000 adolescent girls
through the creation <strong>and</strong> empowerment of adolescent girls' groups. Some group members also received
livelihood training <strong>and</strong> most received training to act as peer educators on discriminatory practices, family life
education <strong>and</strong> post-literacy training. The group members participated actively in social processes <strong>and</strong> raised
issues such as early marriage, gender-violence <strong>and</strong> discrimination.
4.7 Protection of privacy
Children come into contact with the law for a variety of reasons <strong>and</strong> are susceptible to victimisation by the legal
process <strong>and</strong> its enforcement agencies. This happens more frequently in case of street children.
The Children Act, 1974 <strong>and</strong> The Children Rules, 1976 have been enacted <strong>and</strong> made for the protection of
children who come into contact with the law as well as to protect other children. Some provisions of the Act are
totally in line with CRC <strong>and</strong> International st<strong>and</strong>ard on juvenile justice, but some are not. The Vagrancy Act, 1943
is intended to be used for the benefits of the street children. However, there have been allegations that
homeless <strong>and</strong> street children, instead of being protected, are rounded up by the police <strong>and</strong> detained with adult
criminals. The practice of taking vagrant <strong>and</strong> street children into custody essentially criminalises impoverished
<strong>and</strong> vulnerable children. The Government is in the process of reviewing the Vagrancy Act, 1943 <strong>and</strong> the Children
Act, 1974 for possible amendments, which will make it more progressive <strong>and</strong> effective for the children.
Child witnesses to crime experience several vulnerabilities, including intense <strong>and</strong> unsupervised interrogation
by the police. A judge or magistrate may also place women <strong>and</strong> children victims to protective custody, in
a jail or state institution. This power is often exercised with children who have been arrested as `vagrants',
rape <strong>and</strong> sexual assault victims, those rescued from brothels <strong>and</strong> traffickers, ab<strong>and</strong>oned children, or those who
have eloped.
The legal age of criminal responsibility is a major problem in the administration of juvenile justice. The CRC <strong>and</strong>
the Beijing Rules require states to establish a minimum age, below which children cannot be held criminally
responsible. In Bangladesh, the minimum age is now only nine years. The absence of appropriate <strong>and</strong> effective
birth registration system also presents problems in proving a child's age, which limits efforts to ensure their
protection <strong>and</strong> enforce their rights. It is recognized that law enforcement <strong>and</strong> legislative authorities will require
becoming more child-friendly.
CRC requires State Parties to guarantee the right to privacy of children <strong>and</strong> to prosecute those who violate this
right. While this right is for all children, it is particularly important for children who are vulnerable, such as
children involved with the law. In Bangladesh, though reduced over the years through government initiatives <strong>and</strong>
NGO advocacy programmes, however, at times there are media reports with address <strong>and</strong> photograph of the
child victims.
4.8 Access to appropriate information
In the NPA, 2005-2010, one of the important cross-cutting themes is "providing children with the information <strong>and</strong>
skills they need to make informed choices on their well-being <strong>and</strong> development". This would "ensure that
children have access to information <strong>and</strong> skills development opportunities inside <strong>and</strong> outside of school". Not only
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